The Long Road Home
by Mitoch
Summary: AU with Booth, Brennan, and the gang with Original Characters. A fanfic dealing with Brennan's and Booth's recovery, rehab and realizations from the shooting in "Wannabe in the Weeds" Starts out PG-13 and then changes to M at around the Chapter 40 mark
1. Aftermath

**A/N:** This is my first attempt at a fanfiction. My perspective is of right after the shooting, with "Pain the Heart" not occurring due to time frame and plotting arcs. Your thoughts would be well appreciated. Even if only to say, "Never, ever write anything for public consumption again."

* * *

The waiting room was crowded. In some ways, it looked like a bomb had gone off. Except in this instance, when the people landed, they were arranged in these neat little rows. People sat or slouched in the uncomfortable, blue and chrome benches lining the walls. Six more lines of the hard, cold benches ran across the width of the room creating aisleways where the wounded, sick or drunk were sprawled. _"Looks like some kind of macabre grocery store,"_ Dr. Temperance Brennan mused. She watched as a man's gauze-covered hand dripped blood on the impossibly shiny tile floor. _"Cleanup on aisle two,"_ she thought ruefully. She closed her eyes and shook her head, _"Gallows humor,"_ she chided herself.

"When do you think we'll know something?"

"What?" she said startled, looking at Angela seated next to her.

Angela put her hand on Temperance's wrist and with a slight smile repeated, "Sorry sweetie. When do you think we may know something?"

Temperance took a deep breath and sighed, "I don't know. His injuries may not be life threatening. But I don't know…" She caught her breath and continued, "I kept pressure on the wound, so maybe his loss of blood will be minimal…" her voice dwindled. She looked at her bloodstained hands. _"His blood"_ she thought. Her gaze captivated by the fingers on each hand as they caressed each other. As though the simple act of touching something that was once him could create that connection again.

"Here come the others," Angela said.

Temperance's eyes looked up to see the rest of her team coming towards them. She remembered Booth's voice, _"The Squint Squad,"_ he called them. A slight smile came to her face. There was Dr. Jack Hodgins, holding a cup of coffee in each hand. He was flanked on his right by Dr. Camille (Cam) Saroyan and on his left by Dr. Zack Addy. She was slightly surprised as Zack also carried a cup of coffee. _"That's odd,"_ she thought, _"He normally doesn't drink coffee."_ Following behind was Dr. Lance Sweets, his boyish smile nowhere to be seen.

Jack leaned down and gave one of his cups to Angela. He gave her a quick smile and a kiss. "Any word yet?"

"Nothing since witchy-woman told us to be patient," Angela smirked, nodding at the admitting clerk.

Zach handed Temperance the cup he had been holding, "I thought you might need this, Dr. Brennan."

Temperance took the cup with one hand and squeezed Zack's hand with her other. "Thank you, Zack."

"Perhaps the fact that there is no news is good news," Sweets said. Everybody stopped and looked at him. Realizing his statement had focused the entire group's attention upon himself, Sweets continued, "I…I mean, there is still room for us to hope the news will be good."

A general murmur arose from the group. Temperance resumed her study of her hands. Jack sneaked a quick look at Brennan and then his eyes met Angela's. She took his hand and kissed it softly. Cam exhaled slowly, as she looked around the crowded waiting room. Zack took a seat next to his mentor. Each of them now understood fully the old cliché, _'Waiting __is__ the hardest part.'_

* * *

"_Four hours."_

"_It's been four hours,"_ Temperance thought. _"What is going on? Why don't' we know anything?"_ Temperance blinked away tears. _"He's been in surgery for four hours now. Why can't they tell us anything?"_

She looked around. The waiting room had cleared considerably. Only a few people remained. Those who were merely sick, without any visible wounds. Of her friends and colleagues, only Angela was still here, lightly dozing. Temperance had suggested they all go home and assured them she would let them know the moment she heard anything. She knew they wanted to stay here with her, for moral support. But also because they too considered Booth a friend. After some prodding and an absolute promise from her they had gone. All except Angela. "It would take five strong men to keep me away from you," she had said. The look in her eyes and, truth be told, Temperance's exhaustion didn't seem to make the fight worthwhile.

Angela started at Temperance's gasp. Wakefulness came to her quickly. She followed Temperance's gaze to the admitting desk. A group of people was standing by the desk, talking. A man wearing a tan trench coat and a couple of doctors and nurses Angela guessed; by their attire. Hospital scrubs. For no reason in particular, Angela's gaze zeroed in on one of the doctor's pants leg around the ankle. _"Booth's blood"_ she thought absently. The man wearing the trench coat was tall…well-muscled…bald. Though she couldn't hear what they were saying, she could hear the man's voice; deep…authoritarian.

Brennan got up, "That's Cullen," she said. "Booth's boss at the Bureau."

Cullen and Temperance's eyes locked across the waiting room. She looked down at Angela, "I don't know how much he'll tell me. He doesn't like me." She moved towards the group, with Angela a few steps behind.

As they got closer, Temperance could see Cullen excuse himself from the medical staff. He held out his arm and hand, directing the two women to a place where they could talk privately. Or at least more privately than amidst a gaggle of doctors and nurses. Although, she could see the group made no move to disperse during this interruption.

"Dr. Brennan," Sam Cullen nodded.

"Director Cullen," Temperance acknowledged. Cullen looked at Angela. "Do you remember my colleague and best friend, Angela Montenegro?" Cullen nodded to Angela and turned back to Temperance. _"He looks different."_ she thought. _"Not mad…or condescending…or even intimidating."_ Temperance had seen him in all those states. And this was something else. _"Concerned?"_

"What happened?" he said softly; his deep voice striking a comforting chord within her.

Temperance started, hesitantly, "We were all out; celebrating the closing of a case at a kind of Karaoke / performance bar…"

Cullen interrupted, "Booth was at a performance bar with your squi…" He caught himself, "…your…team?"

"Yes…"Temperance answered, confusion beginning to etch its way into her. "I was up on stage, singing. And a woman who had been involved in the case came into the club and tried to shoot me. But Booth stood up and was hit accidentally by the shot." She had said the last quickly, in one breath. She stopped and took a breath.

Cullen looked at her appraisingly. "Why would this woman want to shoot you? She wasn't the perpetrator?" Cullen asked.

"No. During our questioning, she had become infatuated with Booth…kind of stalking him," Temperance said. She crossed her arms and looked to the floor. "But she somehow saw me as a potential rival for his affections…" she trailed off. Tying herself romantically with Booth, if only in conversation, she could feel the burn of a blush beginning.

Cullen looked at Angela. Angela saw the compassion in his eyes and slowly nodded. He turned his attention back to Temperance, "Dr. Brennan," he started, his hand on her wrist, his voice softer than she could ever have imagined. "This is not your fault. This may be difficult for you to hear right now…Booth wasn't hit accidentally. Agents are trained to present as small a target as possible to potential shooters. He stood up to try to shield you…make sure you were safe. At least as safe as he could."

It was too much for Temperance. Tears welled in her eyes. Her mouth opened in a choke. She shook her head from side to side. Angela went to her friend and placed her arm around her. Cullen held her wrist more firmly. "I'm telling you this not to place blame or guilt. But because it is something you should know…about Booth…and probably yourself. It wasn't your fault," he continued. "This was the result of a disturbed woman. Not you." Temperance's breath became steadier. "What happened to the woman?"

"I'm not entirely sure…it's kind of a blur," Temperance said.

Angela added, "When Booth fell, Temperance…I mean Dr. Brennan went to him and started doing first aid. It looked like the woman realized she missed Dr. Brennan and started aiming at her again. That's when Brennan picked up Booth's gun and fired."

Cullen looked back at Temperance, "You shot her?"

Fearfully, Temperance nodded her head and started, "I know you don't like me having a gun…"

Cullen responded, "No, no…it's not that. It's just that…well, it was a helluva shot. We all thought Booth had done it before he fell." Temperance shrugged uncomfortably. "Then what?"

"I kept pressure on his wound and kept talking to him, trying to keep him conscious until the paramedics arrived."

"You probably saved his life…making sure he didn't bleed out," Cullen said. Temperance's shoulders sagged a little and she tilted her head dubiously. "Okay," he exhaled, "I think that's all we need for the investigation."

"What about Booth's condition? They wouldn't let me ride in the ambulance…and nobody here will tell me what's going on!" Temperance said, louder than necessary for just the three of them. The admitting clerk looked up from her paperwork.

"Well, that's about to change," Cullen said as he gently guided Temperance, with his hand in the small of her back, over to the group of doctors. The familiar touch reminded her of the many times Booth had guided her steps.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Cullen said to the medical staff, "This is Dr. Temperance Brennan. From this moment on, she has complete authority regarding Agent Booth's care." Temperance and Angela's respective jaws dropped. Director Cullen withdrew some documents from his jacket pocket. "Agent Booth has listed Dr. Brennan as his _'Next of Kin'_. As a designated agent of the FBI, I am turning those responsibilities over to her. He handed the documents to Temperance. "This is Agent Booth's Power of Attorney and Living Will stating that Dr. Brennan has the authority to make medical decisions in the event he is incapacitated."

Temperance couldn't find the words. She looked at the papers in her hand, and then at Cullen. He looked at her. She could see the trust in his eyes. Finally, she said, "Thank you."

Turning back to the doctors, Cullen said, "Now, I suggest you grab a conference room where you can fill Dr. Brennan in on Agent Booth's condition and treatment options, in private. Remember, Dr. Brennan is here with the full backing of the FBI. She knows what she's talking about, so don't try to snow her."

The medical staff began filing into a conference room just off the admitting desk. Cullen reached for a business card, "Here is my card, "he said as he was writing on the back, "This is my home number. If you need anything, don't hesitate to use this number. I'll tell my wife to be expecting a call." He gave the card to Temperance. As he did, he leaned in and whispered in Temperance's ear. She visibly gulped and, looking straight into Cullen's eyes, she nodded.

He turned to leave. "Wait…sir," she said, "You've always seemed so…" she searched for the correct words, "condescending towards Booth and my partnership," she finished. "Why are you being so nice?"

"Well, first and foremost, Booth would want me to." He continued, "I never had anything against you personally, Dr. Brennan." He turned his head towards the treatment rooms, although in his eyes he seemed to be looking elsewhere. "This isn't the time for anything but a unified front."

Cullen started to walk away when Temperance said, "Are there are other reasons?"

He said, "Remember a couple of years ago, when you and Booth were working a case with a woman burned up in a car?"

"Could you be more specific?"

"The woman's son had been kidnapped to prevent the husband from testifying to a Grand Jury investigation about bad body armor?"

She nodded her head slightly, "I remember…you called Booth a 'Paladin…Defender of the Faith…Protector."

"I heard what you said to him." Now it was Cullen's turn to nod slightly, "For reasons you don't know yet, you were right, in more ways than one." Cullen turned and walked out of the hospital.

"What did you say to Booth?" Angela asked.

"I said tough guys were very sentimental."

"Are you going to tell me what he just whispered to you?

"He said, _'Booth needs you. Take care of our boy'._"

The two friends watched him leave.

* * *

"The patient presented at approximately 11:47 PM with an apparent GSW to his upper right chest…"

"The patient has a name," Temperance interrupted.

"Pardon me?" the nurse case manager asked.

"The patient has a name…He is Special Agent Seeley Booth. Please call him either Agent Booth or Mr. Booth," Temperance stated. Angela noted the unwavering coolness in Brennan's voice. She reached out and touched her forearm. Temperance's tone became less brittle. "Please call him by his name. He is not a statistic yet. He is a human life, hanging in the balance."

The doctors and nurses exchanged glances. The Department Head, Dr. Camarillo nodded.

The nurse began again, "Agent Booth was brought in by paramedic at approximately 11:47 PM with an apparent gunshot wound to the upper right quadrant of his chest. It was ascertained that he had suffered approximately 35 – 40 percent blood loss, Class III Hemorrhage. No exit wound was identified. Rapid infusers brought the patient's…" Temperance looked at her coldly, "I mean Agent Booth's blood volume was stabilized and he was then transported to the operating room."

The man in the hospital scrubs spoke up, "Once in the OR, we were able to better visualize the extent of Agent Booth's injuries." Temperance took a deep breath, and Angela squeezed her friend's arm tighter. "The good news is that the bullet did not pierce his lung. It appeared the bullet entered the clavicular head of the Pectoralis Major and Minor and embedded itself in the scapula. The bad news is that along the trajectory, it fractured the # 2 rib and fragments pierced the subclavian artery." Brennan closed her eyes. "We were able to repair the damage to the artery and remove what shell and bone debris we could find. Agent Booth is now in a drug-induced coma to minimize the chances of shock…"

Temperance opened her eyes. "What depressive agent was used?" she asked.

"A derivative of phenothiazine," noted the anesthesiologist. "We felt comfortable that the side effects in this case would be negligible. But he is on a respirator to help him breathe."

"What else?" Brennan asked, looking around the table.

The doctors exchanged glances. Dr. Camarillo began speaking, "We're not sure if there was any nerve damage either due to the wound or the surgery involved in repairing the damage caused by the gunshot." Temperance looked at Dr. Camarillo. He continued, "We'll begin weaning him off the phenothiazine. We'll know more in a couple of days. Until then, it's just a waiting game," he paused, and then continued, "I'll be honest with you, Dr Brennan, if Agent Booth survives, he's going to have a hard road back. I don't anticipate any loss of cognitive functions, but he may have some problems with his shoulder for quite awhile, if not for the rest of his life."

Temperance nodded her head. "Thank you." She looked around the table, "Thank you all for all of your efforts. And your honesty." Angela echoed Temperance's gratitude. "Can I see him?" Temperance asked.

"Of course," Dr. Camarillo said, "and we'll be in contact on an ongoing basis." With that, the meeting was over. The case manager offered to escort Temperance and Angela to the hospital's Intensive Care Unit. After a short walk through the hallways and an elevator ride, they arrived at the ICU.

For Temperance, the sight of Booth was almost overwhelming. She had seen people in ICUs before. She understood the necessity of the tubes, ventilators and monitors. But seeing Booth hooked up to them was painful. Her mind would always see Booth as the strong, vibrant, virile man that he was. The tube supplying air to his depressed lungs invaded and obscured that handsome face she had come to know so well. The strong arms that held her and made her feel safe were now hanging limp at his sides, tubes running out of them. He seemed so helpless. Temperance sat down by his bedside. She took his hand and held it between hers. She kissed his hand and held it to her cheek. "I'm here," she said softly. So softly, it was obscured by the ventilator. Tears rolled down her cheeks and fell on the bed. Her eyes closed as she held his hand and pressed it to her forehead.

Angela could see the agony in her friend's movements and quiet sobs. She felt an intruder; watching something private, intimate, and inviolate. But she couldn't bring herself to speak or move to comfort Temperance for fear of encroaching upon her friend's grief. She stood there in the doorway, tears coursing down her own cheeks, in silence.


	2. Dreams and Nightmares

She slept. And while she slept, she dreamed.

"_This is odd,"_ Temperance thought, _"I never dream."_

But there she was, standing alone in a park. But somehow, it seemed larger than a park. She could see the blue sky above. The brilliant blue broken only by wisps of clouds here and there. She stood on the most vibrant green grass she had ever seen. All around her was a blanket of damp grass extending far off into the distance, past rolling hills. She could hear children at play. Temperance moved towards the playful shouts, laughter and squeals. As she walked, occasionally, she could hear the buzzing of insects. Low and indistinct. As she reached the crest of a grass-covered hill, she saw the children. Not wanting to intrude in their play, she sat down, removed her shoes and watched. The cool dampness of the grass sent gentle thrills up her legs.

She watched as boys played tag, girls jumped rope and other children amused themselves as only the very young are able. She could see, scattered about, boys and girls walking hand-in-hand.

Temperance noticed water puddles scattered throughout the green carpet. Were they always there, or had her dream magically made them appear? She couldn't remember the last time she had been this relaxed. A feeling of joy began filling her. The buzzing was much louder now.

Some of the children were jumping into the puddles; sending water spraying onto their playmates. She stood, and began walking towards the children. Her foot slipped into a puddle. The water was cool, and sent shivers up her spine. But it was a good kind of shiver. The kind you get when you stand in a gentle summer rain. She looked at the children again. A small boy jumped into one of the puddles. Shrieks of joy echoed from the children. A mischievous smile came to Temperance's face. She jumped! And landed in the middle of a puddle. The water seemed to leap at her joy. She heard the splash of water behind her, and then felt the coolness fall onto her bare shoulders. She sucked in air involuntarily. Turning to see who it was, her smile broadened. "Booth!" she cried with obvious false anger. There he stood, smiling. She jammed her foot into another puddle sending spray all over him. His eyes took on a playful glint while his foot found another puddle. Laughing, she closed her eyes and accepted the shower. One after another they danced from puddle to puddle; drenching the other. Until finally, he took her into his arms. They stood there a moment, slowly swaying in the embrace, gazing into each other's eyes. The buzzing returned, louder. She separated from him, edging closer to the sound. His hand closed upon her shoulder...

She jerked awake, Angela's hand upon her shoulder. "I'm awake," Temperance said groggily.

"Sorry to disturb you sweetie," Angela said, "But it's close to 9:00 AM. How is he?

Shaking the thoughts of the dream from her consciousness, Temperance quickly scanned the monitors. "No change since earlier this morning." She smiled at Angela. "Thank you for waking me. I've got to call Cam, Cullen and the others to let them know what's going on."

Angela said, "Well, you probably need to go home and get some real rest. There's nothing more you can do here. At least not until later on," Angela offered. "You don't have to worry about calling Jack and the others. I did that earlier."

"Thanks." Temperance took another look at Booth tied into all the machinery. She couldn't help but remember her dream, and smiled inwardly. She sighed and said, "Okay. I want to stop at the nurse's station before we go."

After finding out Booth's status, _'No change,'_ Temperance gave the nurses her cell and home numbers and let them know she would be home for a bit. Angela took Temperance's arm and the two friends made their way out of the hospital.

Walking to the parking lot, Angela said, "Mmm…you sure were out. I had to shake you a couple of times to wake you."

"I was dreaming."

"Anything yummy?" Angela giggled.

"It's odd…because I normally don't dream. I was in a park…blue skies, like after a summer storm…green grass, with puddles. There were children playing…and Booth was there. But there was some type of insect buzzing getting closer and closer."

"Booth, huh?" Angela grinned, "Children playing…was Parker there?"

Temperance froze. A look of horror spread across her face. She looked at Angela, "Parker!" She pieced it together, _"That's what the buzzing was! His cell phone…on vibrate!" _She began running back to the hospital.

"What about Parker?" Angela shouted.

"Nobody's told Rebecca or Parker yet!" Temperance yelled. "I've got to get to them before they find out some other way!"

"What 'other way'?!"

"Like the media?!" Temperance looked genuinely fearful. Angela gulped and set out after Brennan at a dead run.

* * *

Riding the elevator up to the fifth floor, Angela asked, "Why, again, are we rushing back into the hospital?"

"I don't have Rebecca's telephone number!" Temperance said, slightly winded.

"Can't you just call Directory Assistance? You know, 411?"

"That would work…if I could remember what her last name was!" Temperance said.

"Arg…okay!"

With an annoying _'Ding'_ the elevator doors opened. The two women sprinted towards the nurse's station. The three ward nurses looked up in surprise as the two women slid to a stop in front of them. "Where are the personal effects for Agent Booth?" Temperance asked breathlessly.

"You ladies are going to have to keep it down…" the charge nurse started, "this is the Intensive Care Unit."

"I know where we are…I have to find his cell phone," Temperance voiced in a whisper barely below her normal voice. The nurse looked at her coolly. Temperance took a breath and whispered more calmly, "I'm sorry. I need that cell phone so I can make a family notification before they hear about it on the news."

No reaction from the nurse. "Please?" both women whispered in unison. Seemingly mollified, the nurse explained, "All of Agent Booth's personal items, minus his weapon, are in the cabinet by his bed."

"Thank you," Angela offered as she and Temperance quickly walked to Booth's room.

Once there, Temperance hurriedly rifled through the drawers until she came up with his cell phone. She held it up triumphantly. She quickly opened it and began the process of searching his Address Book. A look of panic spread across her face. "Noooo!" she whispered.

"What now?"

Temperance held up the phone's display to Angela.

'_PLEASE INPUT PASSWORD'_

"Ohhh…you've got to be kidding me!" Angela breathed.

Temperance looked into her eyes, "We need help." They hurried out to the nurse's station. "Is there someplace where we can make a call?" Temperance asked.

"Where we can speak normally?" Angela added in a loud whisper.

"There's a coffee shop on the first floor," the nurse suggested.

"Anything closer? More private?" Temperance asked, almost begging.

"I'm afraid not. Cell phones aren't even supposed to be on this floor."

"Thanks, anyway…" Temperance shouted in her whisper voice as the two women raced to the elevators. Once there, Angela pushed the _'DOWN' _button. Temperance said hurriedly, "Booth once told me it's good to have at least six characters in passwords. I'm going to try _'Parker'_. What do you think?"

"Be my guest…I don't know!"

Temperance frantically worked the keypad. "No good," she said when the result came back _'INCORRECT PASSWORD'_.

Angela, attempting to will the elevators to go faster, was staring at the lights above the elevator doors. "Come on…come on…"

"What else?"

"Try his name."

"Booth won't work…that's only five letters!"

"Try his first name!"

"S-E-E-L-E-Y…no!" Temperance cried when it read, _'INCORRECT PASSWORD'._

"Where are these damn elevators?" Angela groaned.

"The stairs!" Temperance almost shouted.

Both women hit the stairwell door and started half running / half stumbling down the stairs. Halfway to the next landing, they heard the _'Ding'_ of the elevator arrival and they stopped. They looked at each other, looked at the stairs leading up to the floor they just left, looked at each other again and then continued down the steps. A couple of times one or the other almost lost her balance. But after a seeming eternity, they finally made it to the ground floor. They burst out of the stairwell amidst shocked stares from passersby's, and headed out the door. "We definitely need some help on this!" Temperance gulped and on her own cell phone's speakerphone hit the speed dial for the Jeffersonian.

A light-hearted, sing-song voice came through the speaker, "Zach Addy. How may I be of service?"

"Zach! What are the most common choices for passwords?" Temperance shouted.

"Hello Dr. Brennan. Are you having trouble coming up with a new password for your system?"

"No! We're trying to figure out the password for Booth's phone!"

"Did Agent Booth forget his password?"

Like an evil mime, Brennan's fingers crooked into witch's claws and her face contorted with frustration looking towards the sky. "No Zach! He's in a coma and can't tell us his password!"

Hodgins, upon hearing the commotion on the speaker phone, came over to Zack's station to hear better. "What's going on?"

Angela said, "Hodgins! What are the most common choices people make for passwords?"

"Usually something personal and easy to remember," Hodgins stated, "some form of the user's name, their child's or spouse's name…"

"No good, we tried those," Angela said.

Zach added, "A lot of people use the word 'password' or 'monkey'. I don't know why."

Angela and Temperance looked at each other. They shook their heads, "What else do you have?" asked Temperance.

Hodgins continued, "Sometimes people will use sequential numbers like '123456', their birth date, pet's name…"

Temperance started, "Booth doesn't have any pets…" and then trailed off; her face draining of all tension. Replaced, to her surprise, by affection.

"Bren?" Angela said.

"Is it possible?" Temperance said softly. She started entering the letters of the pig figurine Booth had given to her, '_J-A-S-P-E-R' _She almost sobbed when the main menu screen popped up, but she caught herself.

"Thanks, guys! We got it!" Temperance said into her phone and hung up.

Upon hearing the disconnection on the speakerphone, Hodgins spread his arms wide and said simply, "King of the Lab." Zack began following him, arguing that Brennan and Angela had not said which clue had worked, so Hodgins couldn't be _'King of the Lab'._

Temperance quickly worked the keypad scanning through Booth's address book. Angela was watching the names flash by avidly. "Hey, there's Tessa's number." She reached towards the keypad. "We should just delete that one."

Temperance slapped at Angela's hand. "We're looking for Rebecca's or Parker's entry."

"We can do it later," Angela murmured.

"I don't see either of them," Temperance said, shaking her head. "And I've been through this twice."

"What's this _'ICE'_ stuff he's got listed?" Angela asked. "Is that Immigration stuff?"

"I don't know," Temperance said shaking her head. "He's got _'ICE1,' 'ICE2,' 'ICE3,' 'ICE4'_…"

"Ice, Ice baby," Angela intoned.

Temperance highlighted _'ICE1'_ and hit Enter. "That's my number," she said, surprised. "I…C…E" she said thoughtfully. And then it hit her, she smiled "In Case of Emergency!"

"Smart guy," Angela noted.

Temperance looked at her, still smiling, and nodded. Though not a PhD like most of the people around her, Booth could be very elegant in his solutions to problems. She worked the keypad and said, "Well, ICE1 is me, and ICE3 is the FBI. I'm guessing ICE2 is Rebecca." She punched the send button.

"A guess?" Angela said, "From Dr. Temperance Brennan? Let me call Hell to see if it's frozen over."

The phone rang once….twice….three times and then a woman answered. "Seeley you Son of a Bitch…" Temperance closed her eyes and nodded her head to Angela when she recognized Rebecca's voice. "I've left you four messages! You were supposed to take Parker to school today! I don't know what you've been doing, but if it was so important you should have called to let me know you weren't gonna make it. I could have made other arrangements! Instead, I had to keep Parker home with me, and I had to cancel the meetings I had…"

Temperance interrupted, "Rebecca….it's not Booth! It's Temperance Brennan."

Silence on the line. Then, shakily, "Dr. Brennan?"

"Yes, Rebecca. Something has happened."

"Oh God…tell me."

"Is Parker watching television?

"Yes, he's watching cartoons."

"Go turn the TV off…now…go do it now."

"Okay." Temperance could hear Rebecca turn the television off and ask Parker to go play video games for awhile. After a couple of moments, Rebecca said dully, "Okay."

Temperance related the "short version" of what had happened to Rebecca. Booth was still alive, what hospital he was in, he was still unconscious, Temperance had put her on the visitor list, but it might be better for Parker if he waited until Booth was at least off the ventilator before seeing his father. She gave Rebecca both her cell and home phone numbers and told her to call if she needed something, whether it dealt with Parker or otherwise. Temperance hit the _'END CALL'_ button and exhaled slowly. She wondered to herself, _"Am I really up to this?"_

As if in response, Angela gave her a hug and said, "You did good, Sweetie."


	3. Coming Clean

By the time Temperance made it home it was 11:30 AM and she was exhausted. The identity of the shooting victims and other-involved people from last night had broken and her cell phone had been buzzing from people wanting to "touch base," "make sure she was all right," requesting statements…and there were a couple of loonies who expressed regret that Pam had missed. Larry King would like to have her on tonight to tell her harrowing story; TMZ and Entertainment Tonight wanted a statement how the shooting would affect production of the movie based on her book; and the Today show wanted to interview her, and "Oh by the way, if she could sing a little bit, that would be great." She had finally put a new message on her voice mail directing all correspondence to her publicist and put the phone on _'SILENT.'_

Upon entering her apartment, she heard her home phone ringing. She kicked the door closed behind her and rushed over to the phone. Her heart sank when she saw that she had 23 messages waiting. Checking Caller ID to see if anyone important, such as the hospital, had called, she muted the phone. She called her publicist on her cell to explain the situation and directed her to never accept any invitations from the Today Show in the future. She called Max, and then Russ. Temperance wanted them to hear the true story from her and not the speculation being thrown around on television. They both expressed concern and regret about Booth. She told them she just wanted to take a hot bath and then get some sleep before heading back to the hospital later. Max asked if there was anything he could do in the meantime. Thinking about the last time he had helped her, she assured him nothing along those lines was needed. The person responsible acted alone, and was no longer a threat. She thanked him anyway for the thought.

Her final call was to Cam. Temperance explained what had happened thus far and the prognosis the Doctors had laid out.

Cam told her, "I've spoken with Hodgins, Zack and Angela and we've all decided to go to the hospital later today and do a directed blood donation. I don't remember what Booth's blood type is, but the blood they can't use for him will at least help somebody out anyway."

Temperance closed her eyes, "That's very sweet of everybody. I'm sure it will come in handy. I've put you all on the list of authorized visitors, so if you want to see him, there shouldn't be any problem."

Cam asked, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm tired. I only got a couple of hours of sleep at his bedside this morning. I'm going to take a bath and try to get a couple more hours of sleep and head back later today." Temperance said. "Cam…with Booth designating me as his medical proxy," she paused, "and needing to be available at the hospital to make those decisions, I…I may not be in very often for awhile…"

"Don't' worry about it," Cam said. "We don't have anything pressing here. Take as much time as you need."

"Thanks, Cam."

"And hey, Dr Brennan? If he wakes up before we get to see him, tell him we're all sending our love."

Somewhat startled, Temperance said, "I…I will. Thanks."

"_They're sending their love?"_ She thought. She shook her head and began drawing a bath. While waiting for the tub to fill, she glanced at the two plastic figurines resting in one of her bookshelves. A small pig statuette along with a _'Brainy Smurf'_ Booth had given her. Temperance's finger traced the back of the pig, and with a slight smile, murmured his name, "Jasper."

"_How is it,"_ she wondered, _"that he always knows what I need? And when I need it most? He can be so aggravating sometimes…and so very dear at others."_

"_They're sending their love."_ She shook her head again, _"They're sending their affection…their hopes and dreams…and concern. Not love." _

She snapped out of her reverie and went in to enjoy the bath.

Temperance eased herself into the warm water. The fragrance of daffodils floated into her nostrils. She remembered _**He**_ had bought it for her. She had just finished her Karate class and had gotten the call to come to a crime scene. She skipped her shower that day, _"I wonder why?"_ she thought. _"The body wasn't going to be any less dead if I had taken the fifteen minutes to shower."_ She asked herself, _"Could I have been in a hurry to see __**Him**__?" _And of course, once Booth had figured out she hadn't showered he had made a big deal of it.

"Whoa, Bones!" he started, waving his hands as if to ward off an overpoweringly rancid odor. "What is that smell?"

She shot him an exasperated look.

"I've smelled some pretty ripe corpses before. But this one is really bad."

"Very funny," Temperance had said. "I thought you said this one was really important?"

"Yeah, but not that important!" He raised the back of his hand to his nose; as if to block the smell. "You need to have more consideration for the population at large!"

Honestly, he could be such a guy sometimes!

The case had been pretty straightforward and wrapped up fairly quickly. But later that night, after dinner at the diner, he had presented her a container wrapped in a plain brown wrapper and teased her about next time making sure she was presentable. She hadn't even opened it until she got home. Daffodil scented bath oil.

"_How can he listen so closely? Remember the smallest things about what I like and dislike? Does he take notes on those idiot index cards of his and file them away someplace?"_

Her mind drifted to last night. The trepidation she felt as Dr Sweets was explaining what Booth had set up. All of her co-workers, no strike that, all of her friends were around to cheer her on. The feel of Booth's hands on her arms guiding her to the stage. She smiled as she remembered the exhilaration of singing…_"To him."_ There! She finally acknowledged it. _"The place could have been empty for all I cared. All I could see was his face. His surprised, but pleased look. The flame of the lighter waving above his head. His jumping around in his seat, almost in time with the music. His smile. Not his 'charm smile'…but one of genuine pleasure. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to finish the song…he took my breath away."_

She remembered all the times he held her. When she was afraid…sad…the "guy" hug_…"Who were we kidding with that one?"_ The kiss under the mistletoe. Her fingers absently touched her lips.

She remembered a conversation, one of many they had at the diner. This one about telling someone their feelings:

" '_I Love You'_ are very powerful words…" Booth had said. "And I don't say them unless I mean them. But sometimes the word _'Love'_ loses its meaning. People say, 'I love that song.' Or 'I love to eat Italian food.' Or any of so many other things people find pleasing. It's almost like people saying the word _'Love'_ somehow makes them special instead of who they are supposedly saying it about."

"So you don't think people who are 'In Love' mean it when they say it?" she had asked.

"Sure…but how do they prove it? That they mean it?" Booth continued. "To me, if someone says, 'I miss you' that means so much more."

"How so?"

"When somebody says, _'I miss you'_ they're not saying it to pump themselves up or show how great they are. They're not saying _'I'm giving you something special.'_ They are saying that when you are not here. When I can't see you, hold you, touch you…my life is lessened. You…help make my life better. My existence is diminished until I can be with you, and only you, again.' And that...is a more powerful statement of feelings towards another."

Like he did so many other times, he took her breath away. No other man in her life made her feel the way she felt when they were together. Did he feel it too? Did he miss her when she wasn't there?

She awoke with a start. The water had cooled. _"I must have been really exhausted to fall asleep like that,"_ she mused. _"That would have been ironic…me drowning in the bathtub with Booth in the ICU."_ She felt refreshed, though. Energized. She toweled off and began to dress. It was three thirty and she was starved. She figured she could grab a bite to eat and then go see Booth at the hospital. Her heart seemed to skip a beat at the thought of his name. She checked her incoming calls on her cell…nothing of any importance. Angela had texted her from the office. They would meet her at the hospital after donating blood. Temperance was performing a double check of her bag when there was a knock on her door. She wasn't expecting anyone; she called through the door, "Who is it?"

"Delivery, M'am."

She looked through the peephole to see a young man of about 18 wearing a Citiflowers delivery uniform. She opened the door a crack, "Yes?"

"I have a delivery for a…" reading from a clipboard, "Temperance Brennan?" In one arm he held a bouquet of flowers in a vase, covered with paper; and in the other, a clipboard.

Temperance opened the door fully, _"A condolence arrangement,"_ she thought. _"Probably from Max. He's so old-fashioned…" _She corrected herself, _"No…more traditional than old-fashioned."_

The boy handed her the clipboard. She signed without looking and handed the clipboard back. He handed her the vase, and tore off and handed her copy of the delivery order. "Just a second," she said. She set the flowers down on her countertop and began rummaging in her bag. She fished out a five dollar bill and gave it to him. "Thank you, ma'm" he smiled and left.

"_M'am,"_ she thought. _"Have I become old enough to be a 'm'am'?"_ She ripped the paper off the arrangement with relish. _"Max can be so thoughtful,"_ she thought. When the paper lay crumpled upon the floor, Temperance admired the Daffodil and Daisy floral arrangement. _"It's beautiful."_

She reached for the card and stopped short when she saw the writing on the envelope, _'BONES'. _Her vision tunneled down into seeming pinpricks as her gaze moved from letter to letter. Booth's familiar cursive lay in her hands. With shaking hands, she clumsily opened the envelope and withdrew the card.

'_No matter how it turns out, your performance last night was RAD!_

_Booth'_

She looked at the card in disbelief. _"How…"_

Temperance grabbed at the delivery order. Her eyes devoured the document until she found the order date and time block. He had placed the order last night! Before meeting up at the club! She looked at the card again. _'RAD.'_ She remembered their conversation where she had mentioned her high school girlfriends had considered Cyndi Lauper _'RAD.'_

Temperance drew her face to the flowers. She smelled the sweet fragrance and her lips touched the petals of the flowers. _"Every guy I've ever known has been a pretender. Able to listen for a little while…and maybe remember just a little bit of what I say and believe. But this man…this MAN…is the real thing."_ She asked herself, almost reprovingly, _"What have I been waiting for?"_

She stuffed the small card in her bag, and cradled the vase in her arms as she hurried out the door.


	4. A Father's Prayer

"_I really should have thought this through,"_ Temperance thought as she tried to sop up the majority of the water from the passenger seat in her car. She had truly been proud of herself figuring out to put the vase of flowers in the passenger seat and using the seat belt to hold it in place. Unfortunately, when she had to make that panic swerve to miss that _"Idiot"_ coming out of the parking lot, momentum had caused most of the water to jump out of the vase onto the seat.

"_At least the flowers didn't spill."_ When Temperance thought she had soaked up as much of the water as she could, she took the towel and spread it out in her trunk. _"Maybe it'll evaporate."_ She thought. Temperance wiped her hands absently on the back of her jeans and then closed the trunk. She picked up the vase of Daffodils and Daisies and started towards the hospital.

As she walked, people would pass and, seeing the arrangement, smile. Temperance smiled back. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so alive. Even with Booth upstairs in ICU, she knew…she didn't know how, but _she __knew_ he would be alright. An elderly woman stopped her to admire the flowers.

"Oh, how beautiful!" she said, touching the petals. She looked at Temperance, "They must be for someone extra special," she said with a wink and a smile.

Temperance beamed, "Yes…yes they are!" and the two parted. The woman didn't know how special the flowers were. Booth had sent them to Temperance, and now she wanted them to be the first thing he saw, if it wasn't her, when he woke up.

Upon entering the lobby, Temperance instantly recognized the older man standing at the Information Desk. His arms outstretched, _"A lawyer pleading his case,"_ Temperance thought. The woman seated at the desk shaking her head, but smiling just the same. _"He can really be a charmer when he wants to be."_

Temperance came up beside him, "Dad…what are you doing here?"

Max seemed genuinely surprised. But he quickly regained his composure and turned back to the woman, "There, see? Here's my daughter!" The woman's smile broadened. "Thanks for your help, anyway. She'll take me up to see him!" The woman nodded and went back to her book.

As they walked, Temperance repeated, "What are you doing here?"

Max encircled her arm with one of his own, "What? You think when my daughter's in a bad situation I'm gonna stay away?"

"I'm not in a bad situation, Dad…Booth is."

He gave her a sideways glance, "Of course…of course." He sighed, "You're just an innocent bystander," he rhapsodized. "Those are beautiful," he said, indicating the flowers. "Are those for Booth?"

"Uh- huh." Temperance nodded.

"Daisies and Daffodils…." He mused. Temperance turned her head to face Max. He continued, straight-faced, "Convenient that he likes the same flowers as you."

She smiled at Max, "You'd be surprised at what he likes."

Max returned the smile, "I'm sure I would."

* * *

When they arrived at the ICU, Brennan noted there was more medical staff in and around Booth's room than normal. She spotted Dr Camarillo, who was in conversation with another doctor, and got his attention.

"Here, let me hold those," Max said, reaching for the vase.

She let him take the flowers as Dr Camarillo arrived. Temperance made the introductions, "Dr Camarillo, this is my father Max, Dad, Dr Camarillo. What's going on? Is Booth okay?"

The two men nodded to each other. Camarillo turned to Temperance and spoke, "Nothing to be alarmed about. As a matter of fact, it's good news." Temperance visibly relaxed, but her gaze didn't stray from the doctor. "Earlier today we started to wean Mr. Booth off the phenothiazine as we discussed."

"Have there been complications?"

"Quite the contrary, but I'm getting ahead of myself," the Doctor said. "As you know, the longer a person is on a ventilator, the more dependent he may become and the more at risk for other complications." Temperance nodded. Camarillo continued, "We decided to begin performing some breathing tests to make sure he could tolerate the removal of the depressive agent and gauge his ability to tolerate being off the ventilator."

"What kind of tests?" Max asked.

"We disconnect the breathing tube from the ventilator and watch his breathing for increasingly longer periods to ensure he is breathing on his own."

"How did he do?" Temperance asked, her brows furrowing…worry beginning to work its way into her face.

Dr Camarillo smiled, "He did just fine. At 1:00 this afternoon he was off the ventilator for 5 minutes…at 3:00 he was off for 15 minutes…and just now he was off for 30 minutes."

Temperance asked, "So what's next?"

Dr Camarillo said, "Tonight, if everything progresses as we hope, we'll perform another test at around 7:30. If he breathes on his own for an hour, we'll go ahead and remove the breathing tube." Temperance choked, relieved. "Of course, we'll still have to monitor him to make sure he doesn't regress. But he seems strong. We may not be out of the woods yet, but we can certainly see the tree line."

Temperance's hands shot to her lips. "Oh!" She exclaimed. Smiling behind her hands. "Thank you Doctor!"

Dr Camarillo nodded to Temperance and Max and left. The rest of the doctors also began moving away, on to other concerns.

Max and Temperance entered Booth's room. "He has more color," Temperance noted, stroking his hair alongside his temple.

"Where do you want these?" Max asked, indicating the flowers.

"Here," Temperance said as she pulled a tray table closer to the bed. "I want him to be able to see them when he wakes up."

As Max placed the flowers as directed, there was the rustle of movement in the hall. Temperance looked and saw Angela, Jack, Zach, Cam and Sweets in the hallway. "Is that good news I see on your faces?" Cam asked.

Temperance turned towards Booth and then back to the group, and with a smile nodded her head. A happy gasp escaped from the group. Followed by a "Shush" from the nurse at her station. "He's beginning to breathe on his own," Brennan said relieved. "One more test at 7:30, for an hour, and they may remove the tube altogether."

A chorus of "Great news" "Yay" and "Yesss!" erupted from the team.

"You're going to have to keep it down," came an admonishment from the nurses' station, "Or we're going to have to limit the number of visitors."

"Okay…Okay…" Angela said, hugging Temperance. "Have you eaten? I can hear your stomach growling."

Temperance shook her head, "I've been too busy."

"You've got to eat. We've got about an hour and a half before the next test, right?" Temperance nodded. "Are you coming with us, Mr. Keenan?"

Max smiled, "You can call me Max. Thanks for the offer. But I think I'll just stay here awhile." Temperance looked at her father questioningly. "You go ahead," he nodded, "I'll see you when you get back." Temperance hugged her father and kissed his cheek, then left with the others.

Max sat down in the chair next to Booth's bed. The soft whoosh of air from the ventilator the only sound. After a few moments he leaned forward and began speaking, softly, to Booth.

"You know…I like you. That's not usually something a father tells the man who his daughter loves. Fathers are suspicious when it comes to boys and men who come around their daughters. But I know you. I could see it in your eyes the first time I saw you two together. Oh, you weren't 'together' like a lot of the younger people tend to be nowadays. But I could see the protectiveness…the concern….the self-sacrifice. When I first came back, it was because I was worried about her. The bad men were all around, and they would use her to get to me. But when I saw you, and her, together…it was like looking in a mirror thirty years ago. I knew you would do anything for her. Just like me for Ruth. I'm sorry, Christine to you...And you don't know it yet…I don't' think she knows it yet, but she would do anything for you. I could see it in her eyes when she went after that bounty hunter. When I saw her attack that woman, trying to get the location where you were being held out of her, it was like looking at her mother. She's a fighter. Stick with her. She's got strength she doesn't know she has. She's unsure about herself sometimes. But when she's certain, look out." Max smiled, "But, you know that already. She's got her mother's will. She might get sidetracked sometimes. You and I both know...sometimes it's not all science and rationality. She'll figure it out someday. But she's worth waiting for until she gets it all worked out in her head."

He paused, and then leaned even closer, "What you did for my baby girl I will _NEVER_ forget. What you did for my son I won't _EVER_ forget. I can never repay you for giving me back my family. I don't know what you've got out there in the way of family. But you're a part of mine now."

Max put his hands together and leaned on the bed, "God, I know I've done some terrible things in my life. Things that many people have said go against your laws…including impersonating a priest. I'm sorry…But I did most of those things in the defense of my family. I know you don't want excuses. But I couldn't let my wife, son and daughter be destroyed. And you and I both know...that's what those men would have done. Because of them our family was torn apart...my wife killed. I had to protect our children. But if somebody has to pay for those sins, let it be me. Don't take it out on my daughter. Don't take this man who could give her so much." Max's voice cracked. "Let them live the long and happy life that I denied myself and Ruth."

Max heard a small sob.

He turned to see Temperance in the doorway. Her breath coming in small hitches. "I came back to fill the vase with water." she said in a small voice.

He stood, and moved towards her, arms outstretched, "I…I didn't mean for you to hear…" he started. She rushed into his arms and sobbed. "I'm sorry, precious…" he said.

"Daddy…"

"It's okay…he'll be okay…shhhh…."


	5. Fodder for Dreams

"That's it," said Dr Camarillo. He turned to Temperance, "Your Agent Booth seems to have a strong constitution."

Temperance thought, _"__My__ Agent Booth."_ Avoiding Angela's grin, she turned to Dr Camarillo, "Yes…" she cleared her throat, "…he keeps himself in very good condition."

Angela cooed, "You could say 'Perfect.'" Angela felt everyone's eyes on her. She looked at Temperance, "Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes…yes you did," Hodgins answered.

Looking from Hodgins to Temperance to Cam, Angela stammered, "Well…what I meant was…He's very dedicated to his workout regimen."

Silence.

"Oh screw it! Yes…he's got a great body!" Looking at Hodgins, "You've got a great body too, honey."

Hodgins eyes narrowed, "Really?" he said skeptically.

"Sure…I'll point out your best parts later."

"Ah-hem." Dr Camarillo cleared his throat. Everybody turned back to him. Angela made a mental note, _"Send him a bottle of wine."_

"I'll remove Agent Booth's tube now. Those of you a bit squeamish might want to turn away." Dr Camarillo looked from one to another, expectantly. Nobody moved, save for Temperance when she shifted her weight, tilted her head slightly and folded her arms across her chest.

"We work with decomposing bodies every day," Zach said.

Dr Camarillo nodded and grasped the end of the tube and pulled. It was a quick motion; and like some kind of demented magician, the intubation tube appeared in his hand. Still unconscious, Booth started coughing and wheezing. Dr Camarillo set the tube in the tray the nurse was holding and watched Booth for signs that he needed to reintubate him.

"Is that normal for him to be coughing and wheezing like that?" Jack asked.

"Hold on," Dr Camarillo said.

Booth's wheezing lessened. After a few moments his breathing normalized.

"If that is ever done to me," Zach noted, "I'd like to be unconscious too." Sweets, wide-eyed, nodded his head in agreement.

Dr Camarillo checked Booth's pupils for responsiveness and checked the monitors. Heartbeat and Blood Pressure were returning to their normal, albeit drug-depressed state.

"What do you think, Doctor?" Temperance asked.

Dr Camarillo turned to the group and pulled off his gloves. "Now, it's just a matter of time. When he's ready, he'll wake." He continued, "We'll continue to monitor his breathing, just to make sure he doesn't regress. We'll also put his arm in a sling to restrict his voluntary and involuntary movements. We don't want him to open his incisions." He patted Booth's foot, "He should be all right for the rest of the night. I'll check back on him during my rounds in the morning."

"Thank you, Doctor." Temperance said.

Dr Camarillo nodded and started to leave. He stopped and turned to the group, "I've been asked to remind you to keep the noise levels down." He looked from one to the other. He received various levels of gaze avoidance from looking at the floor to scanning the ceiling to smelling the flowers. He sighed. "Luckily there are no other patients on the floor at the moment. But if someone else comes in," he began whispering, "try to keep it down." He turned and left.

Temperance took a seat by Booth's bed. She asked the nurse for a damp cloth so she could clean his face of the adhesive tape used to keep the tube in place. The nurse smiled and nodded. She completed placing Booth's right arm in the sling and left.

Temperance turned to the group and said, "I'm going to stay for awhile. If you want to leave, I'll call you with any information as soon as I get it."

"That's okay…we can keep you company for a little bit." Cam said.

Hodgins and Sweets were rolling in some more chairs to place around the bed. "We promised the nurses we'd give them back if it got busy." Sweets said.

"So, have I missed anything important?" Temperance asked.

"Did you hear about Dr Erickson in Chemical Analysis?" Zack began. A look of horror crossed Cam's face as she knew what was coming. "He died last night."

"Zack…" Angela started.

"The Jeffersonian sent out an e-mail noting when the funeral will be," Zack continued.

"Uh-huh," Cam said, shooting Zack a "shut up" look. She began, "Well we did get some remains in…"

"He was a nice man; I think I will miss him. Naomi from Paleontology said…"

"Zack!" Hodgins said abruptly. That did the trick. Zack looked at Hodgins questioningly. "Look where we are," Hodgins said in a mock whisper.

Zack looked around, "What? It's not Agent Booth who died and will be having a funeral." Zack looked confused.

"It's okay, Zack." Temperance said trying to comfort him.

"How about actual work stuff?" Sweets suggested.

Cam noted that a mandible had been found in the southern area of the city. She laughed, "A cat had dragged it in to its owner's home…Can you imagine?"

Zack noted that there were scorings on the mandible that at first they thought may have been teeth marks. There were some cat tooth impressions, but after more careful inspection, the cause of the other scoring seemed to be some type of fragments from an explosive detonation. With that information, the local authorities thought the mandible may have belonged to a potential terrorist.

Hodgins groused, "In their typical coercive style, the Department of Homeland Security came in and slapped the 'National Security' tag on everything pretty quickly." He continued, explaining the explosion was probably caused by the bomber's own carelessness. Particulate matter pointed to a homemade, Oklahoma City-style device. Although not as powerful.

Sweets related that thankfully the mandible didn't fit with the gormogon case. After searching the area, the FBI had found pieces of two skeletons scattered throughout the neighborhood. Once the Jeffersonian team had identified the remains, the FBI tracked down their accomplices pretty easily.

Hodgins laughed, "They were going to use the blast as a diversion for a robbery. When it went so wrong, they panicked, dismembered and scattered the bodies."

Angela laughingly added, "Caroline called them a couple of criminal masterminds. You know…using 'that' voice."

By the time the group had related their stories, including remembrances of Booth's experiences with the team, it was well past 1:00 AM. Temperance said she would stay for a bit longer. Everybody said their goodnights and left.

A nurse stopped in and softly asked, "If you would like to stay the night, we could bring in a roll-away?"

"Are you sure I won't be in the way? I wouldn't want to make more work for you?"

The nurse smiled, "No problem…I'll be right back with the bed."

"Thank you."

Temperance stood, looking at Booth. She moved over and sat on the bed, stroking his hair above his ear. _"So this is what he looks like when he loses that penitent intenseness he wears. He really is a handsome man."_

"I'm sorry if we bored you with 'shop talk' tonight," she murmured.

Making sure no nurses were watching. She kissed one eyelid…and then the other. "_Dream well, my darling."_


	6. In Between

Special Agent Seeley Booth opened his eyes.

"_What the hell was __that__?"_ He thought. _"A fake funeral? To catch who? Bones barging into my bathroom? Zack is the gormogon's apprentice?"_

"_No way am I telling Sweets about that dream." _Booth thought. _"I'd never get my gun back."_

"_Now, where the hell __am__ I?"_

He tried to look around, but found he was too weak. It seemed as though he had to concentrate on performing the movement to the exclusion of everything else. He was surprised that he had to concentrate so much just to perform the slightest movement. It felt like he was moving through cobwebs. He gave up after a few attempts.

"_Well, I've seen this place before." _He thought. _Or at least someplace like it. A darkened room…pale fluorescent light reflecting off the ceiling from behind…a television hanging off the wall…the antiseptic smell…an arrangement of Daffodils and Daisies sitting on a tray table…I'm in a hospital."_

He heard a "tack, tack, tack…" from his left. _"Somebody's typing on a laptop," he_ guessed. He still couldn't turn his head. He shifted his eyes to the left to see if he could get a glimpse of his bunkmate. _"Couldn't the FBI have sprung for a private room?"_

His heart sank at what he saw. _"Bones" _he thought miserably. He made the connection, _"Daffodils and Daisies…slightly wilted…she must have been in here for a couple of days…they don't last long. " _There in the dim light of the fluorescents and the laptop screen he could see her. There wasn't an inch of her he didn't recognize on sight. From behind, he could see her hunched over the keyboard, her hair tied back in a ponytail to keep it from falling in her face. The clacking stopped for a moment, _"She's collecting her thoughts. Wants to get the words 'just right.'"_

The clicking of the keys started again. _"I couldn't save her from Pam. Once I was down, there was nothing stopping her from hitting Bones. What a fool I was." _He scolded himself. _"I let my guard down. I didn't think she was a threat."_

"_And Bones paid the price," he_ thought morosely. _"She's in the hospital stuck next to me."_

Miserable and exhausted, he closed his eyes…and slept.

* * *

Temperance looked up from her laptop. Her shoulders were tired and her arms ached. She looked around the darkened room. The fluorescent lights above the head of the hospital bed she sat on reflected from the ceiling, giving everything a pallid look.

She turned and looked at Booth. She couldn't discern any changes since they had moved him from intensive care to this room three days ago. Or rather, no changes from the linen changes and sponge baths the nurses had performed. This room was much more comfortable, for her at least. She had slept that second night on a rollaway bed the nurses had provided. With only Booth in this room, she had taken this bed as hers.

Temperance stood and stretched. With the exception of running some errands, she had spent almost every moment with Booth since the shooting. She thought that she might have to go into work soon. There was only so much she could do by remote access. She needed to be able to see and handle the bones she was being asked to evaluate. And it wasn't fair to Zack to cover for her. Even though he said that he didn't mind the opportunity, Temperance was feeling guilty.

It would be a different matter if Booth was awake, and she could keep him company. _"But he doesn't even know I'm here."_ Temperance thought. She looked at the flowers he had sent. They were starting to wilt a bit. _"Probably because I spilled all of the flower food the florist supplied."_ Temperance made the decision. She shook her head, _"No…I need to be here when he wakes up."_

She was tired. Looking around, she made another decision. Her heart beating faster, this one might affect the rest of her life.

Temperance sat next to Booth. Making sure she didn't disturb the IV lines, she lay down next to him. Her head nestled on his uninjured shoulder; she extended her left arm to drape across his lower chest. Her hand stroked his arm. She sighed softly and kissed his bare shoulder. "I just need to close my eyes for a little while," she said softly. "I'll be here when you wake," and laid her head back down.

She didn't see the tear escape from the corner of Booth's eye and trace its way below his ear to fall upon the pillow.


	7. He Wakes

"Mmmm…you smell good,"

Temperance's eyes flew open. It was Booth's voice. But it wasn't. It sounded hoarse…almost like a croak. Afraid she had misheard, or maybe thinking it a dream, she said softly, "So do you."

"What's that perfume?"

"Nothing…just the bath oil you gave me," she smiled. It was daylight. _"How long have I been asleep?"_ And then, _"Am I still asleep?"_

Sometime during the night his arm had moved to encircle her. She was nestled next to his side, with her head resting upon his shoulder. His left arm traversed her back with his hand cupping her shoulder. Her left hand rested upon his chest. When he spoke, she could feel the vibration rumbling in his chest.

"You don't use that very often."

"Just on special occasions…How do _you_ know when I use it?"

"Special Agent Seeley Booth…_Special_…I pay attention."

She knew she should get up and call the nurse. But she couldn't make herself move. She wanted to stay like this, if not forever, then at least for a few more moments. "How do you feel?"

He said softly, "Shhhh...Temperance…I don't want to deal with the rest of the world…not yet. Let's stay here for awhile longer." She closed her eyes and held him tighter, burying her face into his shoulder.

* * *

They lay there for another few moments, until Booth said, "I'm hungry…did they bring breakfast around yet?"

"I don't know," Temperance said, "They've never stopped in because you were always sleeping."

"What? Don't they feed you in this place? They just let a patient fend for herself?" Booth's tone was moving into irritation.

Temperance rose up onto her elbow and looked into his delicious brown eyes and smiled, "No…silly. I'm not a patient."

"You weren't hit?" Temperance shook her head. A look of relief spread over his face as he looked skyward and said a silent, '_Thank you.'_ Then, turning his gaze back to Temperance, "What happened with Pam?"

"You don't remember?"

Booth shook his head, it moved almost imperceptively, "Bits and pieces…that's all."

Temperance sat upright, "She stood in shock for a moment when…" she looked down, "she hit you." Booth placed his free hand over hers. "When you were on the ground, and I was kneeling over you, she started to recover and started aiming again. I saw your gun next to you…and I guess my reactions took over. I picked up your gun and shot her."

"Wounded…or dead?" He asked.

"Dead, I'm afraid." Temperance said softly.

"I'm so sorry, Bones. You never should have been put in that position."

"What do you mean, Booth? What could we have done differently?"

"I don't know…" Booth rubbed his face and eyes with his hand. "I should have seen the signs. I should have taken Sweets' warning more serious." He was becoming agitated. "I'm sorry you had to kill someone."

Temperance located the nurses' signaling button and pressed it. She dropped it and grabbed Booth's hand with both of hers. "Shhh…it's okay. We're both okay now. Shhh…" she eased.

A disembodied voice came from the intercom, "Yes? Can I help you ma'am?"

"He's awake!" Temperance yelled.

"Be right there."

A few moments passed, and two nurses came into the room. They both saw Booth was indeed awake. One nurse asked Temperance to step back from the bed while the other reached for the phone.

The nurses began taking Booth's vitals, waiting for Dr Camarillo to show up.

Booth looked to Temperance, "Are you going to be here when they're done?"

Temperance felt two emotions at war within her. Happiness that he had awoken and was his feisty self. Sadness that it appeared he had picked up another bushel of guilt to carry. She smiled and nodded her head. But her sadness had pushed the joy from her eyes.

"Can you do me a favor?" Booth asked. Temperance nodded. "Could you get me some pudding?"

Booth saw her face light with joy as her smile triumphantly sparkled from her eyes. She giggled and ran off to find the cafeteria.


	8. Calm Before the Storm

Booth was resting, sitting up in the hospital bed, sucking on a spoon. Empty pudding containers lay strewn about the tray table. He reached out with an unsteady hand and touched the flowers in the vase.

"They were much prettier three days ago," Booth turned to her as Temperance continued, "but I spilled most of the water with the flower preservative in the car on the way here."

Booth smiled, "Why did you bring them here?"

"Well, in case I wasn't here when you woke up, I wanted you to see something that would remind you of me," she looked down, "and that I was thinking of you."

"Do you really think you're that forgettable?"

She looked up at him…and started to blush. "You never know," she teased.

Booth gave a rueful acknowledgement. "You know, Bones, you should never have been put in that position…the target of a stalker's wrath."

"Well, you were there to protect me," she jabbed.

Booth nodded grudgingly, "But if not for me, you wouldn't have needed the protection…you never would have been in danger."

Brennan knew this conversation could not end well, so she changed the subject, "Do you feel up to making a couple of calls?" She dug out his cell phone from her bag. "I've already called Angela and the rest, as well as Cullen and Rebecca and Parker. Rebecca said she'll bring Parker by tonight." She held the phone out to Booth. Temperance continued, "She brought Parker by the first evening you were in this room. We thought it wouldn't be good for him to see you on the ventilator."

He took the phone, "Thanks, Bones." He looked directly into her cool blue eyes. "Really…thank you for everything you've done."

"Well, that's what partners do for each other, isn't it?" she replied. Booth nodded, almost dejectedly. She reached out and squeezed his forearm. "Angela and the others will be by later on, if that's okay."

"Sure," Booth said. "I didn't know that you knew Rebecca's number. How did you manage to contact her so she could break the news to Parker?"

Temperance took a deep breath, "Well, we used the address book in your phone," she said nodding at the cell.

"We?" Booth asked with a curious look on his face.

"_Might as well get this over with,"_ Temperance thought, and continued to tell the story of her and Angela's adventure with his cell phone. "You will probably want to change your password," she advised when she was done.

Booth's face flushed slightly, "Well, you know, 'Jasper' is actually a pretty good password for me. Nobody except you knows what it means. So it would be pretty hard for anybody to guess." He looked a little embarrassed. "Although you figured it out pretty easily…then again, you've got a genius IQ. How many geniuses are going to be identity thieves?" He smiled.

There...that was what she had been missing! That smile. She smiled back. Booth turned back to the cell phone, advancing through his address book. At one point, he stopped and started pressing the menu keys.

"What are you doing?" Temperance asked.

"Mmmm? Oh nothing." Booth responded. "Just deleting an old number."

"Whose?"

"Nobody important."

Temperance thought, _"Tessa,"_ and tried to hide her smile. "That's pretty smart…with the _'ICE'_ listings."

"Think so?"

"Sure…I've done it on my phone already."

"I called all four of the _ICE_s. Well, all except me, of course. Who's John?"

Booth stopped. He looked at Temperance, "How do you know about Jon?"

"Well, when I called _ICE4_, he answered."

What did he say? What did _you_ say?"

Temperance continued, truly confused now, "All I did was tell him who I was…"

"Which was?"

"Dr Temperance Brennan…and that I was your partner." Temperance said, now starting to worry. "Why?"

"What else did you say?"

"Just what happened…and what the situation was. At the time, you were still on the ventilator." Temperance continued more firmly, "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"What did _he_ say?" Booth asked.

"Nothing…just thanked me for the information."

"Didn't tell you who he was, or where he was?"

"No!" Temperance said, full-throated. "Now tell me what's going on!"

Booth visibly relaxed. "He's…just somebody I knew a long time ago. I'll tell you about him someday."

"Why not today?" A voice came a voice from the doorway,

Temperance quickly turned and saw…well, she wasn't sure what she saw. A man, obviously, was leaning against the doorjamb. She judged he was in his mid to late 50s. He stood about as tall as Hodgins…perhaps a bit shorter. He wore a beard and his hair was brownish salt and pepper, full, thick and puffing underneath his baseball cap. He was wearing khaki shorts, a Hawaiian-Island-style shirt, with tennis shoes and no socks.

He walked forward and extended his hand to Temperance, "I think we spoke on the phone a couple of days ago…I'm '_ICE4'_. But you can call me Jon." He smiled.

Temperance took his hand and turned quizzically back to Booth.

Booth groaned and put his free hand over his eyes.


	9. Out of the Past

"What are you doing here, Jonneee?" Booth asked, drawing the last syllable of his name out.

"I'm surprised at you, Seeleee," Jon drew the "ey" sound out. "A partner…" after a quick look at Temperance's surprise, "a _former_ partner is in the hospital…on a ventilator…and you don't think I'd show up?"

"I thought you would," Booth responded, "but I was hoping I could get in touch with you before you made the voyage all the way up here, Jonneee," Booth drew the "ne" sound out.

"All right," Temperance said with both hands splayed in front of her, "what's going on? Who _are_ you?" she asked Jon pointedly, and turning to Booth, "And why am I just hearing about him now?" Jon and Booth exchanged amused looks. "And what's with all the drawn out 'eeeees'?"

"Why don't we all sit down?" Jon suggested. "Here you sit next to Booth, since my left eye is virtually useless…I'll grab this chair and sit over here on your left," Jon continued, pulling over another chair. "Otherwise it's like I'm watching a tennis match with my head going back and forth." Jon demonstrated by moving his head from side to side. "Besides, as I'm sure you're aware, Booth gets pretty handsy, and since he's not really my type…"

The smile evaporated from Booth's face as he started, "No…you…"

Temperance pointed to Booth and then herself, "No…we're just…" looking to Booth and then back to Jon.

"Partners." Booth added helpfully as he looked from Temperance to Jon and back again.

"Right…partners," Temperance agreed.

Booth and Temperance looked at each other a final time and then turned back to Jon.

Jon had been watching the exchange with amusement. "I was wondering what the relation between you two were. So you're…partners?" he said, nodding to Booth and Temperance in agreement. Sitting down, he asked, "So, how are you feeling, Seel?"

"Much better than I was…thanks for asking."

"I gotta admit," Jon said, shaking his head, "I was pretty surprised to see that I had fallen to number 4 on your _'ICE'_ list." He smiled and said, "I could understand not being number 1," extending his hands towards Temperance as if he were a game show model showing a prize, "But number 4? That's almost insulting."

Booth smiled, "One through 3 are all local…you're number one in Florida."

"Wait just a minute," Temperance admonished. "What about the answers to _my_ questions?"

"What questions were those?" Jon asked, innocently.

"Who _are_ you?" Temperance replied, her irritation rising.

"Oh…that," he turned to Booth, "How much should I…" he trailed off.

Booth shook his head resignedly and said, "As much as you want," waving his free hand in a surrender motion.

"Seel and I were in the service together. We got pretty close…went on a few missions..." Temperance looked surprised. Jon, noticing her look, "What? Do you think I'm too old to have been in the service at the same time as Seel?"

Jon's use of Booth's first name jarred Temperance. "No…you just look too short to be an Army Ranger."

Booth and Jon exchanged glances, Jon laughed, "True…But I'm sure, Dr Brennan, with your experience dealing with the government, you've certainly found that if a person proves to be a valuable asset all sorts of waivers will be granted. I was such an asset…at least until it became inconvenient for me to be around."

"They kicked you out because of your eye?" Temperance asked.

He shook his head, "Discharged with full honors." Jon bowed in his seat. "But it wasn't because of my eye. That came later." Jon continued, "I was given a fast track into the FBI where I attained the level of Special Agent in Charge. Seel and I kept in touch and after he left the Army, he…" turning to Booth, "followed isn't really the right word, is it?"

"Pretty close," Booth acknowledged. He turned to Temperance, "I was pretty aimless after leaving the service. That's when my gambling compulsion took over." Booth admitted. "I was on a downward spiral…Jon got me right."

Temperance looked at Jon. He was looking down, lips tight, the joviality…gone. He looked almost, _"Embarrassed?"_ by the praise.

Jon's gaze returned to Booth and Temperance, "Anyway, Seel joined the FBI. And as luck, and a few well-placed words, would have it, he was assigned to my division." His mood regained its lightness. "And that's where we were until the accident that screwed up my eye."

"What…" began Temperance, only to be interrupted by Booth,

"After the accident," Booth and Jon exchanged glances, "the FBI decided it would be too risky to have an active agent with only one eye. So they put him on the 'Inactive' list and he went down to Florida."

"And now I'm back…to do what I can during your time of need," Jon said the last in a tone not unlike a mother comforting a child.

"If you're going to start with that, you can just go home," Booth said, jabbing his finger at Jon.

"_They're like a couple of kids,"_ Temperance thought astonished. She had never seen Booth banter like this. Not even with her.

"So what's this no saying 'ee' on the end of your names?"

Booth nodded to Jon, who explained, "To me, it just sounds like names that end in 'y' or 'ee' are weak. You know, like Johnnee, Bobbee, Tommee…" Temperance just stared at him. Jon continued, "Makes you sound like you're a little kid."

She turned to Booth, "Is _that_ why you don't want anyone to call you 'Seeley'?" She asked, incredulously. "Because it sounds '_weak_'?"

"No…" Booth corrected, "Because it sounds like someone is talking to a child."

She shook her head and sat back. Booth and Jon watched her carefully. When she finally shrugged her shoulders and looked back at them, they both smiled. "So, what do you do in Florida?" Temperance asked.

"I've got some boats that I charter out to fishing parties. Do pretty good too. That's why it took me so long to get here. I brought one up." Jon explained.

"_Boats,"_ Temperance thought glumly. _"Christ, another Sully."_

Dr. Camarillo entered the room. Looking around, he nodded to Temperance and Jon, and turned to Booth, "And how are you feeling, Mr. Booth?"

"Better," Booth nodded, "I feel stronger, anyway." Dr Camarillo began examining Booth's dressing.

"Good," Camarillo said. "We're going to try to get you up and walking around in a bit."

"That's not rushing things a bit, Doctor?" Temperance asked.

"Not at all... The sooner we get Mr. Booth up and moving around, the sooner his strength will return and the sooner we can start him on Physical Therapy." Booth groaned. Dr. Camarillo continued, "Of course we'll have to make sure he's suffering no ill effects from the shooting. As well as making sure his incisions have healed adequately." Dr Camarillo reset Booth's arm in the sling.

"Do you have any idea when he can start PT, Doctor?" Jon asked.

"If everything progresses as expected, I don't see why he can't start in about a week. A couple of days after the sutures are removed." Dr Camarillo affirmed. "I'll see you later, Mr. Booth. Don't fill up on pudding. You need the other nutrients to help the healing process." He turned to leave.

Jon said, "Could I have a moment, Doctor?" And walked into the hallway with him.

Temperance turned to Booth, "That's good news, right? They're going to get you up and ambulatory."

"Yeah... I'm ready." Booth said. Turning to Temperance he asked, "Could you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"See if my keys are in my pants pocket, wherever they are, and go to my apartment and bring some things here?"

"No problem. Anything in particular?" Temperance said as she fished around in the bedside cabinet.

"Toothbrush…shaving stuff…" he rubbed his cheeks and chin, "and some clothing. I can't wear the same stuff I came in with. The shirt is probably ruined."

"Yeah, you're probably right about that." Temperance smiled, jingling his keys.

"Bones…It's going to take some time before I'm well enough to go out into the field again…" Booth started.

"That's okay…" Temperance said; his sudden seriousness tickled a wariness in the back of her mind.

"So I thought I would ask Cullen to assign you another agent…" Booth said, and then continuing after seeing Temperance's crestfallen face, "…temporarily. Until I can get back out there with you."

"But I don't want to work with another agent."

"But you need to. You've come so far doing field work. I…I just don't want you to lose those skills while waiting for me."

Temperance yelled, "We're a team! We're partners! We're…" and then she stopped. Composing herself, she continued softly, "Okay…if that's what you think is best."

"Don't worry. I'll be up and around in a couple months or so…And it will be just like it was before." Booth assured her.

"Yeah…okay." Temperance said as she left, "I'll be back in a bit."

She passed Jon returning to Booth's room in the hallway. She put a shaking hand up to shield his view of her eyes, "I'll see you later." She said in a trembling voice.

Jon stopped and watched her go. Then he turned back to Booth's room. Upon entering, he said, "I got everything squared away with the Doc."

Booth sat, staring out the window, "What did she say?"

"Not _that_ Doctor." Jon said. Booth sat in silence, looking at his cell phone. "I explained to Dr Camarillo my qualifications and what we needed to do." Jon said, "We can start with our program once you work your other PT for a couple weeks."

Booth nodded.

"What are you doing, Seel?"

"I'm doing what I have to…to protect her." Booth punched a couple of buttons on the phone.

"How? By pushing her away? How well did that work before?" Jon jabbed his thumb in the direction Temperance had gone, "This is one you shouldn't let get away. Let alone push her away. With only one eye I can see that after only 10 minutes."

Booth said nothing.

"Are you protecting her…or yourself?"

Silence. Booth punched the Send button.

* * *

Temperance made her way to the lobby and out the main doors. She couldn't understand why he was so distant. _"Was I just imagining it? Did that closeness just evaporate?" _She walked to the lot where she had parked; lost in thought. Running the scenes through in her mind.

She heard her name, "Tempe" from behind her.

"_Russ,"_ she thought. _"He's brought Amy and the girls to see Booth."_

She turned and saw Sully.


	10. Turmoil Before A Quiet Interlude

"Sully," Temperance said dispassionately.

He smiled. "How have you been?"

Standing there with his baseball cap on backwards, oversized jeans and T-shirt, _"He looks like an overgrown child," _Temperance thought. "I've been well…and you?"

"Oh…you know," he said closing the distance between them, "getting by. I've got 'Temperance' docked in the marina."

She had forgotten he had named his boat after her. "What are you doing here?"

Sully said, "What? A close friend gets shot and you don't think I would come to see how he is?"

"How did you find out? I made all of the notification calls from Booth's phone. You weren't listed."

"I've still got friends in the Bureau," he said. "You made the calls? So you and he…?"

"We're still partners, yes," she said. She noticed Sully seemed to relax at that. "Did you stop by to see Booth?"

"Do you think I've been hanging around the visitors' parking lot waiting for you to come out?" Sully said, his smile broadening.

She had to admit, it sounded pretty foolish to put it like that. "No…I've just been a little…"

"Distracted." He finished, nodding. "Tell you what, sometime, we should get together and catch up."

Temperance started to shake her head, "I don't think…" she began; she was interrupted by her cell phone. Looking at the screen, she saw the call was from Cullen.

"Brennan here," she said. Sully looked towards the ground while waiting.

"Dr Brennan…it's Sam Cullen."

"Yes, hello Director Cullen." Temperance turned her back to Sully, whose gaze remained on the ground, although he stopped fidgeting.

"How is Agent Booth doing?" Cullen asked.

"Much better sir." Temperance answered. "You know he's been off the ventilator, and he's alert and responsive. They are going to get him up to do some walking in a little bit. I'm on my way to pick up some things from his apartment."

"Sounds like you're doing a great job taking care of him."

Still startled by praise from Cullen, Temperance said, "Th…Thank you, sir."

"Dr Brennan, could you come in to the office tomorrow at around 10:00 AM? I'd like to discuss your status as far as fieldwork is concerned." Cullen asked.

"Yes, of course. Ten o'clock, your office."

They said their goodbyes. Sully looked up with an inquisitive expression on his face. "What did Deputy Director Cullen want?"

Temperance turned and weighed whether or not to tell Sully. "Booth thinks I should still go out in the field with another agent. So that my investigative skills don't atrophy while he's stuck on rehab or desk duty. Cullen's called me to a meeting tomorrow morning."

Sully added, "Booth's a smart guy…and of course if there's been any nerve damage and he can't weapons qualify, he may never come back."

Temperance looked at Sully with horror, "What…what do you mean, 'never come back'?"

"Well, they're not going to put an agent out on the street if he can't shoot a gun accurately. It would have to be a desk job or retirement for him."

"I never thought of that…" Temperance murmured. "I've…got to go," she said absently, as she unlocked her car door.

"Okay…" Sully continued. "Dinner sometime?"

"I…I don't know." Temperance said, preoccupied. She got in, closed the door and started the car.

"I'll give you a call," Sully yelled as Temperance backed the car out of the stall, put the car in forward and drove off.

Sully stood, watching, as she rounded a corner and disappeared in the multitude of cars. He walked over to his car and got in. He started the engine, put the car in reverse, and pulled out of the stall. Edging his car through the rows to the exit, he pulled out his cell phone and began scrolling through his address book. When he got to _"FBI - DD – Cullen"_ he hit the Send button and smiled as he waited for someone to answer.

* * *

The key slid easily into the lock. Temperance could feel her heart thrumming in her chest. _"Why am I so nervous?"_ she thought. _"It's not like there's somebody in here waiting for me."_ She turned the key and heard the '_Snap'_ of the deadbolt as it slid back. She reached for the doorknob, and hesitated. _"What now?"_ her rational brain screamed. _"You've been here before."_ She answered, _"But he was always with you."_

Her mind shrieked, _"This is __His__ place. Private…sacrosanct. Anyone who enters is always chaperoned by him." _She felt a trespasser at the gates of some forbidden sanctuary. _"He __gave__ you permission to go in."_ But to do so alone felt somehow imposing. Was she prepared for what was inside? What secrets is he laying open for her to see?

"_I'm sure if there were anything he didn't want me to see, or was embarrassing, he would have sent Jon."_ She turned the knob.

Turning on the lights, the place was as she remembered. Save a little messier. _"He cleans up before I come over."_ She noted. The door closed behind her. She turned and set the deadbolt. Looking around, she wondered, _"Why do men always seem to like dark sturdy wood for their furniture and walls? Kind of makes it look dark, almost like a cave."_ As she made her way towards the bedroom, her heart beat faster. _"Now what's this all about?"_ she thought with her hand to her chest.

"_I've never been in here before, that's what the problem is,"_ she thought.

Standing in the doorway, she saw his big, wooden bed frame. A basic, brown-hued comforter covered the neatly made bed. Temperance smiled at that, _"Yeah, he would be the type of man who would make his bed every day." _While his suit hung neatly on a wooden suit hanger on what Temperance surmised was his closet door, his dress shirt and some underclothes lay on the bed in disarray. _"He must have hurried home to change into his 'soft clothes' before coming to the club."_ She walked along the foot of the bed, tracing her finger along the top of the wooden footboard. An unseen aroma of manliness tickled her insides, edging its way further down her torso. _"Pheromones,"_ she noted.

Reaching the closet, she opened it and found a medium-sized gym bag she thought would fit the bill. She laid the bag on the bed and opened the drawers of his dresser looking for jeans and a t-shirt, as well as some fresh underclothes and socks. He had worn his favorite green lightweight jacket as an over shirt to the club, so he couldn't wear that home. She looked around the closet and came up with an almost identical jacket amongst all of the dress shirts Booth would wear with his suits. She smiled, _"Almost like a security blanket."_

Leaving the bedroom, she walked into the bathroom across the hall. Temperance opened his medicine chest and, resisting the temptation to snoop through the various bottles and tubes, found his shaving necessities…razor…shaving cream…aftershave. Temperance hesitated…and then opened the top to his aftershave. She closed her eyes and passed it under her nose smiling at the familiar scent. When she started feeling a tingling in her pelvic region, she tore her eyes open. Blinking, she put the cap back on and crossed back to the bedroom.

Looking again in the closet, she finally found the toiletry travel case she was looking for. Temperance opened the case, saw it was empty, and put the shaving equipment in. She crossed back over to the bathroom…she could still feel his aftershave and musk tickling her lower abdomen.

Temperance found his other toiletries with no problem. Although, she couldn't find a travel case for his toothbrush. She moved out to the kitchen and found a roll of plastic wrap. She tore a six-inch panel off and wrapped the bristle end of the toothbrush in it. Looking around in the drawers for a rubber band, she only found a plastic bag full of wire ties from bread wrappers. _"What the…?"_ she mused. She removed one and wrapped it around the toothbrush, keeping the plastic wrap in place.

Proud of her ingenuity, she started back into the bedroom. On the way, she stopped to admire his home audio set up. _"It's only fair,"_ she thought._ "I've always only been here on business, working cases. When he was at my apartment he went through my music collection."_

Booth had an impressive collection of CDs and she was surprised to see many vinyl records. He had the requisite equipment to play his collection. She didn't even realize record turntables were made and sold anymore. It looked top of the line.

Her fingers moved from one CD to another…and then through the line of vinyl albums. She smiled when she came to the "Double Vision" CD by Foreigner. Temperance remembered the two of them dancing to "Hot Blooded" in her apartment. She was surprised to see "The Greatest" by Cat Power. He had an eclectic collection.

Temperance moved back into the bedroom. She packed his toiletries in the travel case and put it in the bag. Sitting on the bed, looking around, she tried to think of anything else he might need or want. She absently picked up his dress shirt and ran her fingers along the fabric. _"This really is a comfortable-looking bedroom."_ She bounced a couple of times on the bed. _"Nice."_ Without thinking, she spun her legs and feet up onto the bed and lay down, looking up at the ceiling. Still clutching his shirt, she closed her eyes. _"So this is what his bed feels like…"_

Her eyes flew open. _"What am I doing?"_ She sat up and put her feet back on the floor. But she still had hold of his shirt. She raised it to her face and inhaled his aroma. The aftershave, mixed with his pheromones seemed dizzying, almost intoxicating. An idea tickled its way into her mind. She looked at his shirt, and then looked around, trying to make up her mind. She smiled.

Temperance kicked off her shoes and began removing her clothes.

* * *

She looked at herself in the mirror. Booth's shirt was oversized for her. Even so, it felt luxurious next to her skin. The front and tail of the shirt ended at mid-thigh. She had to roll up the sleeves just so that she didn't have to always pull them up when she wanted to use her hands. She had tried on a pair of Booth's multi-colored socks, but she thought they didn't look quite right with the white shirt. Temperance found a pair of white socks, _"He must use them when he works out,"_ in his dresser. She had found his hat that he wore undercover in Las Vegas, and that was perched atop her head. She turned her head from side to side, _"Not bad…I should wear hats more often," s_he thought. Topping off the look was one of Booth's ties. She had no clue how to properly tie one, but she did the best she could.

She moved out to the living room. Temperance hit the power button to his CD player. The door opened invitingly. She opened a case and loaded the CD in the player. The door closed hungrily. After a few moments, she saw the CD begin to spin, and the first strains of Cat Power's "The Greatest" began to flow from the speakers.

Temperance closed her eyes, stood in the middle of the living room, arms encircling herself, swaying to the music…losing herself in the feel and smell of his clothes, the sounds of his life…and imagined she wasn't alone.


	11. Marathon Man

It was full dark by the time Temperance had changed back into her own clothes and returned to the hospital, with Booth's gym bag in hand. She was still going over, and dreading tomorrow's meeting with Cullen. She thought back to the last time she had to work with an agent other than Booth. _"Sully,"_ she thought. _"What a mess that turned out to be."_

"_How did I even think the two of us together was a good match?"_ Temperance wrestled with the thought. _"He wasn't very serious about anything."_ She continued, _"Didn't seem have the wherewithal about people that Booth utilizes every day."_ She chided herself, _"How could he have thought that after only knowing each other for a month I would give up everything I love, my entire life, and go off sailing with him for a year?"_

She continued through the doors of the hospital. Reaching the elevator banks, she pressed the "Up" button. _"I mean, the sex was great. But nothing I would give up who I am, for."_ She continued, _"I knew it wouldn't last…it was just a fling. Did he really think that he was in Love with me? Or was he just trying to fill a void within him that he had no way of knowing how to?"_

She sighed, absently listening to the Muzak. _"Gordon Gordon said that I wasn't ready to lead a 'purposeless life' yet…But it was just the idea of going away with someone of so little substance." _She shook her head, _"And now he's back in town…what a mess…"_

The elevator arrival bell signaled her exit and she walked towards Booth's room. Her mind already at work reliving her departure from reality in Booth's apartment. She was smiling as she crossed the threshold into Booth's room when she saw the empty bed…and no sign of Booth.

"Booth?" She said to the empty room. Thoughts of blood clots, strokes and pulmonary embolisms flooded her mind. She dropped the gym bag on the bed and rushed over to the closed bathroom door. Knocking on the door, "Booth? It's me, Temperance." No answer. She opened the door slowly…nobody inside. Visions of Booth being wheeled into the OR with Doctors and Nurses frantically working on him exploded inside her head. She rushed out to the Nurse's Station.

Once there, she breathed frantically, "I can't find Agent Booth…he's not in his room…"

The nurse opened her mouth to answer, when Temperance heard a familiar voice from down the hall, "Hi Bones!" The voice was happy, high-pitched…the sound of a child. She wheeled her head in the direction of the voice and saw, Parker.

He was wheeling the IV stand in front of his father as he walked. Booth walked behind…with Rebecca helping to steady him under his left shoulder. Temperance felt the fear and anxiety drain away with the sight of Parker's smile and waving hand. Her eyes met Booth's and saw _"Happiness? Relief? Affection?"_ in them. Temperance moved to meet them. "Hello Parker!" She waved and said as warmly as she could.

"What took you so long?" Booth asked. "This is my second bout with re-learning how to walk…I had to have Jon chattering away during my first attempt."

"Sorry," she replied. "I got…caught up with something." Turning her attention to Rebecca, she said, "Hi Rebecca."

"Hello Dr Brennan," Rebecca smiled. "I'm glad you're here. Booth is getting awfully heavy." She motioned for Temperance to come and take her place.

Temperance looked at Booth and saw a slight smile spread to his lips. "Sure, no problem," she said as she swapped places with Rebecca under Booth's arm.

"Thanks," Rebecca smiled. Turning to Booth, Rebecca asked, "Ready for the home stretch?"

"Let's go," Booth said and started moving forward. Temperance could see the effort and concentration Booth had to exert just to move a couple of steps. She thought of possible nerve damage.

"Did the Doctor say anything more about your prognosis?" Temperance asked.

Booth grimaced as he spoke, "He said that there may be some nerve damage to my right arm, wrist and fingers." He wavered unsteadily, and Temperance compensated by taking more of his weight onto her shoulders. "My legs should be fine. This," he said nodding about his unsteadiness, "is just from being inactive for an extended period. The more I walk, and eventually run, the quicker I'll be back to normal."

"Just have to watch your exertion level at first." Temperance warned. "We still have to worry about blood clots detaching for awhile."

"Gee, thanks, Bones," Booth breathed, they turned into his room. "Like I don't have enough to worry about," he said sarcastically. Temperance looked up at him and saw no malice in his eyes. Just a glint of playfulness. She was struck by the fact he looked exactly as he had in her dream. All they needed was a water puddle.

She smirked and dropped him, sitting, on the bed. "You okay?" She said in mock concern.

As Booth adjusted himself in the bed, Temperance ran a towel under cool water in his bathroom sink. Rebecca said, "Well, it looks like you're in good hands now…Parker's got school in the morning, so we should be going."

"Aww…can't we stay awhile longer?" Parker half-heartedly whined. But he was betrayed by a yawn.

Booth said, "You heard your mom. School's important, buddy."

"Okay," Parker said, crawling up on the bed to give Booth a hug. Booth moved his left arm to keep Parker from being tangled in the IV lines. He whispered in Parker's ear as they hugged. Temperance emerged from the bathroom with the wet towel. Rebecca softly thanked Temperance. As Parker got down from the bed he said, "Thanks Dr Brennan…for helping to make my dad better."

Temperance was taken slightly aback at the formalness of the young man. "I'm happy to help," she said smiling.

Once the goodnights had been said and Rebecca and Parker had left, Temperance sat beside Booth on the bed and began wiping the sweat from Booth's face and exposed skin. "Did you tell Parker to thank me?" she asked.

Booth tried to look as innocent as he could, "What…no!"

"It wasn't necessary, you know," she said.

"Yes…it was," Booth responded. "It's necessary to teach children when they're young to say 'Thank you' when somebody does something for them." Temperance looked at Booth. "It's important. To teach them how to get along in society." Temperance smiled.

"I called Cullen earlier," Booth started, "To have him assign someone to you temporarily so you can still do field work."

"I know," Temperance said, looking directly at him, "You must have called him just as I left. I got the call…" she hesitated, "while I was still in the parking lot." She waited, and then said, "You know, you don't have to do this. I can wait until you get back."

"And if I never get back? If the nerve damage doesn't get better? The FBI won't put me out on the street if I can't weapons qualify!" Booth said concernedly.

"Then you'll just have to learn to shoot left-handed," she said simply. Booth opened his mouth in surprise. "Close your mouth," Temperance said, "You'll catch flies that way." Booth shut his mouth.

"Tomorrow I have a meeting with Cullen, and then I have to go into the Jeffersonian to do some work." Temperance said. "I'll be by tomorrow evening. Let's spend tonight not worrying about tomorrow…Okay?"

In his condition, Booth couldn't think of a better way to spend the night.


	12. Misery

Angela and Jack walked through the doors of the Jeffersonian early. "Brennan's here," Angela said simply.

"How can you tell? We're barely in the door…" Jack responded.

"I can see her lights are on." Jack looked at her skeptically. "The lights are making the rest of the lab look lighter than it usually is."

They rounded the corner to see through her office glass Temperance at her desk, working on her computer. Angela turned to Jack with an, "I told you so," look. He smiled and kissed her. "That's my artist," he said, "seeing all the colors of the world, even in the shades of dark and light."

Angela returned the smile, "You go on. I'll see how she's doing." Jack nodded and sauntered over to his workstation. Angela moved towards Temperance's office. Once there, she stood in the doorway, "Well," she said, "how is he doing?"

Temperance jumped at the sound. She turned to Angela and smiled, "He's doing much better. He's up and ambulatory. He seems to be getting stronger and stronger."

Angela entered the room and took a seat near the desk. "So, what are you doing here?"

"I had to come in and get some work done," Temperance leaned back in her chair and said. "I've been putting it off for too long."

Angela stated, "And you couldn't put it off for another day or so? At least until Booth is out of the hospital?"

"Well, he seems to be doing okay. And I'm not really doing anything while I'm there. I don't see how my presence there, or here, would have any bearing on how quickly he will heal," Temperance said.

"If you're there, you're lending moral support," Angela countered, "And that can't be bad."

"With everything that Booth has to go through," Temperance started, "I don't even know if he will want me around." Angela gave her an incredulous look. "I mean, I may even be a distraction for what he needs to do to get back…" she trailed off and looked down.

"Sweetie, Booth needs you," Angela said. Temperance looked up dubiously. "Oh, he won't come out and say it," Angela continued, "but you're a major part of his life."

A tear made a lonely journey down Temperance's cheek. "I'm not so sure," she said, shaking her head. "He called Cullen and suggested I be assigned another agent." Angela's mouth opened in surprise. "Cullen called and wants to meet with me today at 10:00 AM to discuss my 'status'." Temperance wiped her eyes. "Booth said he doesn't want me to lose my 'investigative skills' while waiting for him to come back."

Angela thought a moment, "Well, what do _you_ want to do?" Temperance looked at her. "Do you want to be assigned another agent? Or do you want to wait for Booth? Or do you want to just bag it and be done with field work altogether?"

Temperance sniffled and wiped her nose with a tissue. "I don't know. I'm so turned around. These last few days, when I've been with him," she smiled, "have been really, really nice." Angela returned the smile. "Even when he was unconscious, I felt close to him. Since he's been awake, and we've been able to communicate, I've found myself being drawn even closer. As if I've dodged a bullet…seen what my life would be like without him. And I don't like it. I don't want to go back to the way it was before."

"Dodged a bullet?" Angela repeated.

Temperance smiled at the irony, "I know…poor choice of words."

"Bren…have you told him this?"

"I can't…he keeps talking about it's his fault I was put in danger. And that Pam wouldn't have targeted me if it weren't for him." Temperance looked in Angela's eyes, "He's acting like he did after Epps died."

"Epps? What does he have to do with this?" Angela exclaimed.

"Nothing…not really. It's just the whole Epps episode convinced Booth that he can't get involved with anyone because of his 'high risk' job. It's too much of an opportunity for others to get hurt."

"I see why you hate psychology." Angela said. "Maybe if you just hang on for awhile, he'll soften…like he did before."

Temperance nodded, "Or he'll push me into someone else's arms." She paused, "Sully's back."

"Sully?" Angela stood up. "Why is he here? And how do you know?"

"I ran into him in the parking lot of the hospital. He heard about Booth and came back to see him." Temperance noted.

"What are you going to do?" Angela asked.

"I don't know," Temperance answered. "He knows that Cullen may have another agent assigned to me."

"So?" Angela retorted. "Didn't Sully retire to the Caribbean?"

"Yes, he did," came a male voice from the doorway. Both women turned and saw Agent Tim Sullivan. At least that was how he was dressed. Showered, shaved and in a grey suit. He smiled, "But I'm back now."

Angela looked at him a moment, and then turned and looked at Temperance, "Hello, Sully," she said.

"What, Tempe? No hello?" Sully asked.

"What are you doing? And how did you get in here?" Temperance said flatly, standing and shaking her head.

Sully walked a little ways into the office, "I offered my services to Cullen as a liaison between the Jeffersonian and the FBI." He paused, then quickly added, "At least until Booth is up and able to fulfill his duties." Angela and Temperance exchanged looks. "And as far as how I got in; you guys should really tighten up security. I just flashed a copy of my old badge and credentials and the guards just let me in."

Temperance and Angela exchanged glances. Angela could see the anger building in Temperance's eyes. "Why would Cullen assign you?" Temperance asked. "And aren't you retired? How would _that_ work?" She crossed her arms.

"Well, we've worked together before." Sully explained. "And, no offense, there just aren't that many people willing to work with a group of scientists."

"And the fact that you are retired?" Temperance pressed.

"Well, seeing as how I left on my own terms, I wasn't fired, I can always un-retire." Sully said. "For special assignments," he smiled.

Temperance looked to Angela, who shook her head, not knowing what to do or say. "You never know, Cullen may not go for it. But the option is there." Sully raised his hands to chest level, palms toward her; he stepped towards Temperance, and said softly, "Look, I know we didn't part on the best of terms. But you can't deny that we did work well together that time. And the rest of it…well…"

Temperance sat back down and appeared to be thinking it over. Sully started walking towards the door. "Just think it over. I'll see you at the meeting." He turned to Angela, "See you," and then he left.

"Bren…"Angela started, "please tell me you're not thinking of doing this." Temperance looked to Angela, questioningly. "Does this _even_ _sound_ like a good idea?"

Temperance leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table. She held her head in her hands, the heel of her hands resting upon her closed eyelids, curled fingers on her forehead. _"What a mess,"_ she thought.


	13. A Surprising Turn of Events

Temperance was dreading the meeting. If Sully was correct, she may not have a choice who she would have to work with. _"Would it really be so bad if I don't go into the field until Booth gets back?"_ She thought_. "Booth probably wouldn't like it…especially after he went to all this trouble to clear it with Cullen." _She sighed, _"Well, maybe a miracle will happen."_

She arrived at Cullen's door. Through the glass, she could see Sully seated facing Cullen…his back to the door. Cullen and he were discussing something. Temperance took a deep breath and resolved not to be bullied into anything she didn't want. Either by Sully or Cullen. She knocked, and then turned the knob.

The door opened and she could see Sully and Cullen just as she could before. Over to her left, out of sight of the viewing window, was Jon sitting in a chair with his back to the wall. _"He's on the left…always on the left."_ Upon seeing her, he smiled and stood up. Cullen stood as well, "Dr Brennan, I'm glad you could come."

"Thank you, Director Cullen," Temperance said, a bit confused. Her eyes went from Cullen to Jon to Sully.

"Please have a seat," Cullen invited. She moved to take the other chair facing Cullen.

"How is Agent Booth doing?" Jon asked.

"Mu…Much better. Thank you for asking," she answered, covering her confusion. _"Jon knows how he's doing...what's going on?"_ she thought. Sneaking a glance at Jon, _"At least he's wearing pants today,"_ she thought. Although he still wore the faded dark blue with red lettered baseball cap, and a different, but just as flamboyant Hawaiian shirt. "As you both know," she said nodding to Jon and Sully, "They've got him up and moving around. He's getting stronger. Just a couple more days of observation, and they'll begin treating him on an outpatient basis." She noticed a slight look of confusion in Jon's eyes and they flicked almost imperceptively towards Sully. But he never lost his smile.

"That's great news, Dr Brennan," Cullen said.

"Excellent news, Temperance," Sully agreed.

She bristled at Sully's familiarity in such a formal setting. She coldly turned her attention to Cullen. Cullen looked from Temperance to Sully and back again. Sam Cullen did not rise to the position of Deputy Director by missing such signals.

"If you don't mind my asking, sir," Temperance said to Cullen, "What are Agent Sullivan and Jon…" she looked to Jon, realizing for the first time that she did not know his last name. "I'm sorry; I don't know your last name," she said.

Jon replied, "Smith."

"Smith?" Temperance said, "Really? Jon Smith?"

Jon nodded, "Yup. Do you have a Pocahontas reference you want to throw out?"

She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to digest this seemingly incongruous bit of information. "Sounds more like an alias to me." Jon nodded his head, obviously amused. "Anyway," turning back to Cullen, "What are Agent Sullivan and Mr. Smith," she shook her head, "doing here?"

Cullen started, "Well, as I'm sure everyone here is aware, Agent Booth called me and suggested I assign another agent to Dr Brennan so she could continue her field work for the FBI." The three nodded their assent. "Agent Booth suggested we change Mr. Smith's status to 'Active' and have him accompany Dr Brennan on any 'field trips' that are warranted." Cullen saw the utter shock on Temperance's face. He quickly looked towards Jon. "Is that correct?"

"To a certain extent, yes." Jon answered. "I'm going to be in town for a few months, working on some…_personal_ business. While that business will not be taking up all of my time, I can certainly help out his partner on her investigations until he can assume his normal duties."

"_If_ he can assume his duties," Cullen added. "We still don't know if there is any nerve damage that would preclude his return."

"He'll be back," Jon said simply.

"Mr. Sullivan also called me," Cullen continued, "Offering the same services. Although, I don't know how he knew about the situation," turning to Temperance, "I assume you told him to call."

Temperance began to respond when Sully cut in, "I happened to be with Tempe when she got your call." Temperance turned to him with an icy stare. "I asked her what the call was about."

"But I didn't ask him to call you, sir," Temperance added to Cullen. Sully watched her out of the corner of his eye.

"You didn't suggest to him to volunteer for the assignment?"

"No sir," Temperance said. "As a matter of fact, I didn't know _what_ was going to transpire today. So I couldn't have given him any indication of what to do."

Cullen nodded his head. "Well, what does everybody think? Dr Brennan?"

"I would like to continue field work, if at all possible. However, I don't want you to break any rules in allowing me to do it. And…" looking at Jon, "I don't want to be a bother to anybody who may have something else to do."

"Mr. Sullivan?"

"Well, sir. Tempe and I have worked together in the past. I would be happy to help out," Sully said smoothly. "I would welcome the opportunity to work with her again."

"But you retired over a year and a half ago, didn't you? How could we bring you back?" Cullen asked.

"I'm sure the paperwork could be accomplished for an…un-retirement fairly quickly."

"What about procedural changes that have taken place since your retirement? Have you been keeping up? And there are weapons qualifying and background checks?"

"I can skim any procedural changes that may have occurred, and I can weapons qualify today." Sully countered.

"And the background check?" Cullen asked.

"I can do the paperwork right after this meeting. Not much has changed since I retired."

"Uh-huh…and what about you?" Cullen said turning to Jon.

Jon raised his hands in a surrender motion. "Hey, I'm just here doing a friend, and his partner a favor. If she, "nodding to Temperance, "and you decide I'm not the man for you, no problem." He looked at Temperance, "I'm here to help Agent Booth in every way I can." Temperance relaxed a bit, reading Jon's motives as exactly what he said.

"What would we have to do to get you back?" Cullen asked.

"File the paperwork to reactivate me. I can weapons qualify today as well." Jon said.

Sully zeroed in on Jon, "What about your security clearance? You can't tell me it's still active after…what? Seven years?"

Jon looked at him and responded levelly, "Yes, it is." He turned to Cullen. "Since my inactive status took effect, I've coordinated with the North Miami Beach Field Office to maintain the clearance and also to keep myself abreast with changing field and office procedures."

"What…why?" Sully stammered.

Jon looked at Sully coolly, "I'm inactive…not dead…or retired. There's always a chance the Bureau may need to recall me in a national emergency. It's only prudent to keep up on these things." Temperance made a half-hearted attempt to hide her smile.

Sully turned to Cullen, his voice getting louder, "You can't possibly be thinking of doing this. He's only got one eye for Christ's sake!"

"_Mr._ Sullivan!" Cullen used his command voice, "Do not forget where you are! All I have to do is press this button right here," he said, his hand moving under his desk, "and you will be led away in handcuffs!" Temperance, somewhat awed, looked at Jon, who looked completely unimpressed. Sully sat back, cowed. Cullen turned back to Jon, "With your eye, do you think you can weapons qualify?"

"What do _you_ think?" Jon asked back.

Turning to Temperance, "Do you have a preference, Dr Brennan?" Cullen asked.

"Ahhh….well…sir…" Temperance could not believe that Cullen had put her on the spot like that.

Cullen, noting her discomfiture said, "Gentlemen, could we have the room?"

Jon nodded, got up and moved towards the door. Sully sat for a moment more and, looking at Cullen's glower, followed him.

When the door closed, Cullen repeated his question, more gently to Temperance, "Do you have a preference who you work with?"

"Sir," Temperance started, "I don't know Jon, I mean Agent Smith that well. However, I know Agent Sullivan from working with him before. From what I've just seen and heard, and the fact that Agent Booth recommends him, I'd have to say Jon would be my preferred choice." Cullen nodded his head. "I don't know what kind of paperwork needs to be done, or other qualifying factors there are, but I would feel better being on the street with a one-eyed Jon Smith than a two-eyed Tim Sullivan." She exhaled loudly. "Of course my first choice is Agent Booth."

"Of course," Cullen nodded, smiling broadly. "Now let's get those two back in here."

* * *

Outside Cullen's office:

Jon went up to Agent Charlie Burns' desk. He stuck his hand out, "Hi Charlie! My name is Jon Smith. I'm a friend of Agent Booth's."

Charlie shook his hand, "Pleased to meet you Mr. Smith. How is Agent Booth doing?"

Jon continued warmly, "He's getting better every day." He watched Sully pacing by Cullen's door, looking like he was working himself into rage. "Listen, I may be working here for a little bit, so I may need your help on a couple of things, if that's okay?"

"Sure," Charlie said. "Just let me know."

"Hey…how about we get a drink after work and you can fill me in on the office politics and the best way to get things done around here?" Jon asked.

Charlie checked his watch, "Sure…I'll write down the address of the bar we generally go to. It's called the _'Alibi Lounge'_"

Jon smiled, "Let me guess…it's a cop hangout." Charlie laughed in agreement. "Great…I'll pick up the address on the way out." Jon walked over towards Cullen's door, and Sully.

Sully towered over him. He stuck his right index finger in Jon's chest and said, "Listen you little Munchkin! This is where the big boys play now. You screw this up for me and you'll wish you never met me."

"Too late. I _already_ wish I had never met you." Sully's face turned ugly. "By the way," he continued at a lower volume, "if you don't remove that finger, I guarantee you won't be able to weapons qualify…unless you can do it left-handed." He noticed Cullen waving them inside. Jon pointed at Sully's face and said, "Oohh look! A Winged Monkey!" He opened the door.

* * *

Once they were seated, and Sully was composed, _"Wow…he shifted gears pretty quickly."_ Jon thought, Cullen said, "Okay…I've made my decision." Temperance held her breath.

"First off, I'm getting a whiff of something other than the desire to close cases, so, if Mr. Smith can weapons qualify this afternoon, he and Dr Brennan will perform the field work necessary for whatever investigations involve her." Temperance sat back, smiling. Looking at Jon, he continued, "Of course you will have to adhere to FBI standards as far as appearances are concerned."

Jon nodded. Temperance exhaled slowly. She glanced at Sully. _"He's mad….he's __really__ mad,"_ she thought.

"What about me?" Sully spat.

Cullen looked at him. "We can reactivate you. But it will be at least six weeks before the background check can be completed." Sully's face went flaccid. "That means you'll be working desk duty until it comes through. I can attach you to Special Agent Smith's team if you like. Or perhaps another team?"

"No thank you, sir," he stood up and stiffly turned to Temperance, "If you need anything, I'll be in town for awhile." He turned, and pointedly avoiding looking at Jon, walked to the door.

After the door closed, Cullen said to Jon, "What was going on between you two outside there?'

Jon said innocently, "Not much. We were just discussing 'The Wizard of Oz'."

Not believing a word of it, Cullen said, "Okay…you'll weapons test this afternoon. If you pass," Jon sent him a _'Who are you kidding?'_ look. Cullen continued, "You'll need to get cleaned up. Tomorrow morning we'll issue you a badge, ID card and gun."

"If it's okay, sir," Jon said, "I'll use my own weapon."

"What is it? I don't want you running around with a bazooka." Cullen said.

"Beretta 90-Two semi-automatic 9mm."

Cullen asked, "Is that the one with the 17 round clip?"

Jon nodded, "And one in the pipe."

Cullen whistled and said, "Okay…I'll check the other paperwork, just to make sure you weren't snowing me, and get everything in motion." He turned to Temperance, "Are you sure you're comfortable with this?"

Temperance nodded her head and said, "Yes, if both of you, and Booth, are." She looked at Cullen and then at Jon.

Jon nodded reassuringly at Temperance, "I've got a couple of questions, though. First, will I be working any other cases other than the ones I work with Dr Brennan?"

"No," Cullen said, "there's no sense you getting involved in cases that might call for you to have to stay here and testify after the cases you work with Dr Brennan run out."

"Will Dr Brennan be armed as well?"

Temperance whirled her head in Jon's direction. Cullen choked, "Why would she need to be?"

"Well, I'm old and slow…she's young and spry. What happens if we're chasing a suspect and she gets there first?"

"No…" Cullen started, "No gun."

"But I'm a very good shot…" Temperance started.

"To be honest, I'm concerned about her safety," Jon continued, "Remember that time you and I were chasing that drug dealer and you rounded a corner and he hit your arm with a pipe, knocking the gun from your hand?"

"That happened to Booth and me too…" Temperance added, "although it wasn't a drug dealer…and we were inside an abandoned building…" she trailed off as Cullen turned and looked at her.

"Tell you what, Sam…" Jon said, "If she qualifies within ten points of my qualifying score, or if she beats it, you'll give her a temporary permit for three months."

Cullen stared at the two in silence. To Temperance, it seemed an uncomfortably long time. "All right," he said finally. "But she's your responsibility. She shoots someone and it creates some kind of jackpot, I'm taking one of your boats and you're going to jail."

A disgusted look appeared on Jon's face, "What are you going to do with a boat? You get seasick!" he said, standing up. Cullen stood up as well. Sensing it was time to leave, Temperance stood and said, "Thank you, sir."

"Be careful out there," Cullen intoned. "Be at the range at 1:00 o'clock."

Jon nodded and ushered Temperance out of the office. He stopped and poked his head back in and said, "Which boat?"


	14. Who Are You?

"Thank you," Temperance said, her hand on Jon's forearm.

Jon covered her hand with his, "Think nothing of it…do you have a preferred weapon to qualify with or would you like to use one of mine? I tend to prefer semi-automatics over revolvers, but I have both."

Temperance smiled, _"Just like Booth…any weapon will do,"_ she thought. "I'll bring my own and you can give me your opinion," she said.

"Okay," he responded, "Meet you at the range at 12:30? Give you a chance to warm up…fire a couple rounds…and get your head into it?" Jon smiled and nodded reassuringly.

Temperance returned the nod and smile. She turned and motioned towards the elevator, "Want to walk out together?"

Jon shook his head, "I've got a couple of things to do here, first. You know where the range is?"

Temperance responded, "Yes…I'll meet you there." She waved and turned to leave.

"Good," Jon said. "And relax…you'll do fine," he smiled.

Temperance smiled, nodded and walked towards the elevators; her mood considerably better than when she first arrived.

Jon moved to Charlie's desk. "Do you have the address of that bar?" he asked.

Charlie stood and retrieved a slip of paper from his desk. He passed it towards Jon. "I'll get done about 6:00 this evening, if you still want to talk about the shop."

Jon looked at the paper, "Sure," he continued, "I'm going to be working out of the office starting tomorrow. Pretty much just working cases with Dr Brennan and her team. I'll be looking to you for help in some of the cases, and maybe doing some other things. Don't worry, it'll be job related. Nothing like picking up my dry-cleaning or anything. Would that be okay with you?" Charlie looked towards Cullen's door, "I'll square it with Cullen. But if you'd rather not…I know some people don't like working with the scientists over there, and…" in a lower volume, "if you're friends with former Agent Sullivan and maybe there's some hard feelings about me being here instead of him…"

Charlie gave a derisive snort and a look of disdain came to his face, "Trust me, no one in this office is happier that Sully isn't back than I am. Guy was a real jerk. At least I thought so."

Jon nodded, "What's his first name?"

"Tim," Charlie responded.

Jon looked at Charlie closely, "Done much field work, Charlie?"

"Some…not much. I guess I don't engender the confidence a taller, more physically imposing agent would," Charlie responded.

"Tell me about it," Jon agreed. He began making his way to the elevator. Looking Charlie in the eye, he said, "Trust me…that's going to change."

Charlie watched him go, and then sat back down looking at the paperwork on his desk.

* * *

Temperance was sitting in the main waiting area at the shooting range. She was nervous. _"What's the matter with me?"_ She thought, _"I'm a certified marksman with the NRA. I've done this, or at least something like it before."_ She took a deep breath. "_Maybe Jon will go first. Give me some time to calm down."_ She fingered her pistol case absently.

She saw Jon come through the door. The baseball cap still perched upon his head. Sunglasses hid his eyes. The beard was still in place, but the Hawaiian shirt was gone. He was now wearing a familiar olive drab jacket, unbuttoned, over a dark blue t-shirt. He carried a black attaché case. His carriage and demeanor indicating his trademark joviality was gone.

He saw Temperance. She waved, unsure. He smiled and returned the wave. He removed his sunglasses and she saw the lightness return to his mood. _"He's good at masking what he doesn't want others to see…like Booth,"_ she noted. _"But this…'joie de vivre?' ...it sure seems real."_

He came over. "Ready?"

Her nervousness began creeping back into her, "I…I think so."

He gently squeezed her forearm, "You'll be fine," he smiled reassuringly. "Besides, I know the range master. If you don't pass, I'll slip him a bottle of thirty year old scotch." Temperance looked at Jon, not knowing if he was kidding or not. "Trust me, after drinking half the bottle he'll put whatever score we tell him on the card."

He turned and started towards the stairs leading down to the range. When he noticed Temperance wasn't following, he stopped and looked back, "You coming?"

"_What have I gotten myself into?"_ Temperance thought. _"Maybe I should have chosen Sully…At least with him; I knew what buttons to push to get my way."_ She nodded and moved to follow Jon downstairs.

* * *

"Okay…let's see what you've got," Jon said, opening his attaché case. Brennan unzipped her pistol case and set it next to his case on the table. "Do you mind?" he asked, his hands indicating he would like to examine her weapon.

Temperance nodded, "Sure."

He removed the weapon from its case and turned downrange, "Let's see…Smith and Wesson…Model 60…" he hefted the gun in his right hand. Opening the cylinder, seeing the chambers empty, ".357…5 rounds…stainless steel…" he turned to Temperance, "Do you prefer a smaller frame, or was there something else that made you choose this one?" Jon closed the cylinder.

"I actually had a much bigger one awhile ago," Temperance said as Jon was sighting down the barrel towards the target. "But it was really too big for me." She remembered the incident with the clown…and the snakes. She decided not to reveal that much to him.

"It's only five shots, you know," Jon commented. He looked at her. Temperance shrugged in agreement. "Do you prefer revolvers over semi-automatics?"

"I really hadn't given it much thought."

He handed the weapon back to her. "I've got something you might want to try…" seeing Temperance's skeptical look, "after qualifying, of course. We don't want you trying to get used to a new weapon when you're trying to qualify to conceal carry for the FBI." He smiled. At that, Temperance relaxed.

He withdrew a revolver from the case. "Here," he said offering it to her, butt first. "Try this and see how it feels."

She placed her own weapon in its case and took the weapon from Jon. She felt the weight in her hand. _"Slightly heavier than mine,"_ she noted. She felt Jon's hands on her shoulders from behind, turning her downrange. She turned as he directed, and gave him a questioning look.

"I'm sure you already know this; always handle a gun with it pointing downrange," he said simply. She nodded, getting her head into range safety. She opened the cylinder. Jon smiled. Seeing the chambers were empty, she closed the cylinder and sighted in on the target, "Now, this is a Smith and Wesson model 686 Plus. It has a 3-inch barrel, .357 caliber, _and_ it has a 7 round capacity. How does it feel?"

"A bit heavier than mine," she said. Jon nodded in agreement. "And with it holding 7 instead of 5, that will add a little more weight."

Jon smiled, "Correct…if you want to try it after qualification, or some other time, we can."

Temperance handed the weapon back to Jon, "I'd like to…thanks." She continued, "Can I see what you use?"

"Sure," Jon turned back to the case, and came out with a semi-automatic. Turning back downrange, "This is a Beretta 90-Two Type F…" he removed the magazine, moved the slide to its open position and checked the chamber. "9 mm…17 round clip." He handed the weapon to Temperance. She took the weapon and facing downrange started sighting in on the target. "You release the slide by pushing down on…" the slide seated home with a click. Jon smiled, _"Okay…she's a quick learner,"_ he thought. "The grip may be a bit wide for you…"

"Yes, I've noticed…why is that?" She asked.

"Well, with 17 rounds in the clip, they have to stagger them so that the clip won't be so long," he held his hands about a foot apart.

"Makes sense," she said and returned the weapon to Jon. "It actually feels pretty nice. Why do you prefer a semi-automatic with less firepower? Wouldn't you want something with more knockdown power?"

"Well, the firepower isn't an issue for me," Jon said. Temperance looked at him questioningly. "It doesn't matter what caliber you use, if you hit something, or somebody in the right place, he'll go down. For me, and Seel as well, it's a question of the number of rounds I have available to me."

"But with the slide action staying open after the last round," Temperance started, "isn't that like telling the whole world that you're out of ammunition?"

Jon nodded, "True, but if someone is still coming after 17 rounds…excuse me…18 rounds, then I'm in a lot more trouble than the caliber of my weapon will fix."

Temperance smirked, "Yeah…I see your point."

"Want to warm up?"

"Sure," Temperance started loading the chambers of her revolver. "What about you?" She said, after noticing Jon made no move to load his weapon.

"I'm okay. Let me explain a bit about the qualifying. It's a bit different from the NRA qualification you went through." Temperance nodded her head. "The targets will be the standard FBI silhouette targets with the red center. We'll start at 25 yards and fire from both right and left hands. There will also be timed fire. And some obstruction firing. The target will be moved closer by 5 yards and we'll go again."

"What kind of score will I need?" Temperance asked.

"80 out of 100," Jon noted. Temperance gave him a _'Is that all?_' look. He smiled, "believe me, it's tougher than it sounds." Jon started moving the target to the 25-yard range. Temperance nodded and put her shooting glasses on. She placed the noise suppressors over her ears and looked at Jon. "Let's have some fun," he yelled. His smile was infectious. She smiled back and turned downrange.

* * *

After her first five rounds, Jon brought the target up to see how she had done. "Good grouping," Jon remarked.

"_That's all he has to say, 'Good Grouping?'"_ Temperance thought looking at the cluster. _"That's one of my better groupings! Not many could top it, I'd bet!"_ Instead, figuring she'd play along, she said, "Thanks…"

Jon interrupted, "How do you feel?"

"Okay," she answered. "Why?"

He reached behind and touched the small of her back. "Can you feel any tightness here?"

Temperance decided to humor him. She closed her eyes and took stock of how her body felt. After a moment, her eyes flew open. "Yes…a little bit," she said amazed.

"And when you fire, show me the part of your finger that you use." She showed him a spot on her finger pad. "What I saw was a little bit of fighting the recoil, and also," turning to the target, "see how there seems to be a bit of a drift off to the right, here?" Temperance looked at the target. "See," he said pointing to the far left bullet hole, "you started here with your first round, and everything else started moving to the right."

She looked at him, panic starting to set up house in her eyes.

"Don't worry…" Jon said, "Just try to bend at the knees a little more and lean a little more forward. The recoil will bring the gun straight up and gravity will bring it straight down." Temperance tried the position…she nodded. "That will prevent your lower back, part of your core, from tiring. Let the gun and gravity do the work."

"Now, as far as the drift…" Jon started, "let me see your finger." Temperance pointed her finger towards him. "You're using this part of your finger trying to pull the trigger." Jon pressed his finger on her finger pad. "It's creating a bit of a drag to the right. That's pulling the gun to the right. Try using this part." He touched an area of her finger pad closer to the end. "And try to think about just sliding the trigger as opposed to pulling it. It should almost be a surprise when the gun fires."

Temperance nodded. "Do we have time for me to try it?"

"We've got all the time we need until you're comfortable."

Temperance smiled and reloaded.

* * *

"Booth said you were a quick learner," Jon said, "How do you feel?"

"Great!" Temperance said excitedly. Looking at the target, she could see her grouping had been reduced by half and there didn't appear to be any drift to either the right or left.

"That's good…but relax a bit. Remember, adrenaline is our enemy."

Temperance took a deep breath…held it for a few seconds…and then exhaled.

"Are we ready to start?" A male voice asked. The range master and Qualifying Instructor had arrived.

Jon and Temperance exchanged looks. Temperance found herself drawing confidence from Jon's encouraging look. "Yes." Temperance said.

Jon said, "Instead of us qualifying at the same time, I'd like Dr Brennan to go first."

Temperance whirled and looked at him questioningly.

"I like to know what score I have to beat," he smiled.

Jon stuck his fist out, waiting. Not in the usual knuckle bump that she had seen others, most notably Booth, do. Jon's fist was turned perpendicular to the ground and held lower; not chest high like the other ritual. Temperance didn't know what to do. He nodded and stuck his fist closer to her. Unsure, she put her fist close to his. "Shoot 'em up," he said and tapped the top of her fist with the bottom of his. She smiled, "Shoot 'em up," she replied and tapped the top of his fist with hers.

* * *

"Well? How do you think I did?" Temperance asked flexing her hands.

Jon said, "What's the matter with your hands?"

"I've never fired that many rounds in one session."

"Here…turn around and face me." He said, as he began kneading her forearms. She turned and faced him. "You did well," he said, his gaze never wavering from her arms. "I counted 83."

Temperance's hands felt better…much better, in fact. Her eyes closed. _"He sure knows what he's doing,"_ she thought. Then another thought crossed her mind, _"Is he interested in me?"_ She began to tense up.

"Relax," Jon said. "This isn't a pre-seduction move. I'm old enough to be your father." Her eyes opened and only saw the top of the baseball cap; his attention focused on her forearms, wrists and hands. "Besides, Seel wouldn't like it."

"_What an ego I've got."_ She smiled and gave her arms over to the masseuse.

"81…you passed," came the voice of the Instructor. "Ah-hem…are you ready now, Mr." he looked at his clipboard, "Smith?" He said ironically.

Jon looked up at Temperance, "So I was two off." He shrugged and went to load his clips.

* * *

Jon stood in his t-shirt, pants and shoes facing the targets. He was also wearing his shooting glasses, noise suppressors and a double holster setup around his shoulders. He turned his head and asked, "Can I do the right and left hand firing in the same round? I've got two identical weapons?" The range master and Instructor exchanged looks. "It will cut down on the time we're here?"

"Sure," the Instructor laughed, "It's your score." He put on his sighting goggles.

An instructor's disembodied voice boomed from the loudspeakers, "25 Yards…Primary and Secondary Hand...5 Rounds each…Ten Seconds…Ready on the Left…Ready on the Right…Ready on the Firing Line…" Then a loud claxon sounded.

Temperance watched as with almost inhuman speed Jon drew both weapons and began firing,

_Ka-chow, Ka-chow, Ka-chow, Ka-chow, Ka-chow, Ka-chow, Ka-chow, Ka-chow, Ka-chow, Ka-chow_

The slides of both weapons locked in their open position. "Out!" Jon yelled.

Jon had given Temperance a pair of sighting glasses, glorified binoculars, to see his results on the target, but it was over so quickly she had barely been able to raise them to her eyes. With wide eyes, she looked through the glasses. Dead on…she saw a much tighter grouping than she had thought possible. _"This guy's blind in one eye?"_ She looked back and saw Jon reloading his clips.

* * *

"_Final round,"_ Temperance thought. _"He just doesn't miss. He's at 89 now…three more points and, according to his deal with Cullen, I won't be able to carry a gun. I needed to score within 10 points of him. And with the target this close, 5 yards, there's no way he's going to miss." _Temperance was a little unhappy at the thought. But she was having fun watching him shoot. And truth be told, it was fun watching the range master and Instructor looking like they should be eating crow. Some people are just too smug for their own good.

The instructor's voice came over the loudspeaker, "5 Yards…Primary and Secondary hand...5 Rounds each…Ten Seconds…Ready on the Left…Ready on the Right…Ready on the Firing Line…" Then the claxon sounded.

Jon stood motionless…Temperance looked at her watch, the seconds ticking past…5…6…7…8…9…Jon drew his weapon and fired…once, with his left hand…the claxon sounded again. The instructors voice called out, "All Clear on the Firing Line." Jon holstered his weapon.

The Qualifying Instructor brought the target to the scoring position. Temperance removed her noise suppressors and went up to Jon, "What was that last round all about?" She said accusingly.

"You wanted to carry a gun didn't you?"

"Yes, but I wanted to qualify fair and square." She was starting to get livid.

"And you did. You scored an 81. If anybody else scored that, they would have been qualified with no questions asked." Temperance's face started to resume its natural color. "But because of the deal I made with Cullen, you wouldn't have been able to carry a weapon if I had finished it out." Jon could see her working it out in her head. "Why should you be penalized because we went head-to-head? You qualified…straight up."

"90," came the instructor's voice.

"Damn…I miscounted again!" Jon groaned.

"We need you guys to sign your cards to finish up," the instructor said.

With the paperwork completed, Temperance and Jon began packing up their equipment.

Temperance said, "I really have to thank you. If not for your advice, I would have gotten tired and probably wouldn't have qualified."

"No problem," Jon said, "It was just something I noticed…" He saw Temperance looking at him strangely. Then, understanding filled her face. _"Oh…Oh."_ He thought.

Pointing her finger at him, "I know who you are!" Temperance said, on the verge of a shout. "I know why you're here…and why you haven't left yet!"

Jon tried to act nonchalant; after all, it wasn't a national security issue or anything like that. He smiled and chuckled, "Seel said you were smart."

"You taught him how to shoot!" Temperance smiled. This was the best news she had had in over a week.

"I did not teach him how to shoot." Jon corrected. "He already knew how to shoot. All I did was help him refine his technique."

"And you're here to help him get back to where he was."

"Among other things."

"What other things?"

"I've known him a long time. I've been his mentor…his partner…his friend…his surrogate father. I'm also getting old. I've got less days in front of me than behind me. I have to teach him one more thing."

"What?"

"That life is too short to waste it on guilt. He started picking it up when he became a sniper…picked up more of it with what happened to my first wife…it just kept building on and on. Haven't you noticed that whenever life throws shit down on anybody around him he blames himself?" Temperance nodded, remembering him pushing her into Sully's arms, and his recent retreat from her. "He's missing out on so much by taking on the weight of the world. I've got to change that."

_'Weight of the World,'_ Temperance thought back to the conversations she had with Booth. He had taken that weight off her shoulders. It was time to return the favor. "Whatever you need…I'm here to help," Temperance started, "I mean it. If you need help by my being there, anything, financially, my books…I'm rich…whatever you need."

"You're rich?" Jon asked. Temperance nodded enthusiastically. "What a coincidence…so am I." He added, "But before we go any further, I need to know something." Temperance swallowed, and waited. "Are you doing this because Seel is your partner? Or is there something else at work here? Guilt for him getting shot? Gratitude for saving your life? Something else?"

Temperance didn't understand how she knew she could trust this man, but she did. She had thought the words a number of times in the past few days. She thought they would be more difficult to say aloud, but they flowed from her as naturally as breathing, "I'm in Love with him."

Jon looked at her a moment…and smiled. "Even better," he said, "Doesn't it feel good to say the words out loud?"

She returned the smile. She had to agree.


	15. Revelations

Temperance entered the Jeffersonian happier than she had been in, well, longer than she could remember. Certainly before Booth had been in the hospital. The guards were baffled when, as she passed, she smiled and said, "Good afternoon," and hurried on without waiting for their return salutation.

"What's with her?" one asked.

"Beats me," the other returned. Sniffing the air, "Is that gunpowder?" The other shrugged and went back to his thoughts.

* * *

Angela was up on the examinations platform discussing facial reconstruction with Zack and Hodgins. She saw her friend's entrance through the doors. Seeing Temperance's demeanor, Angela rushed to meet her, leaving the two men in mid-sentence. They watched as the two friends met and Temperance, rather animatedly, took Angela by the arm and hurried her into her office. _"That's odd,"_ Jack thought, _"that usually happens the other way around."_ He turned to Zack and said, "Must be a 'woman' thing."

"I don't know what that means," Zack replied.

"I'm not sure I can tell you," Hodgins said, "Half the time, I don't know what it means either." Hodgins moved to his workstation and Zack turned his attention back to the skull he was holding.

Once in Temperance's office, Angela had begun to work her way through the astonishment that had set in at her friend's behavior. "Okay, Bren," she said as Temperance closed the door. "What's going on? And what _is_ that smell?" Angela crinkled her nose.

Temperance sniffed her clothes, and eyes wide, looked at Angela, shaking her head. "It smells like…" Angela started, "…used firecrackers."

"Oh," Temperance cocked her head a bit, "gunpowder." Seeing Angela's confused look, she continued, "I just came from the FBI shooting range."

"What were you doing there? I mean, I know you were probably shooting, but why? And how did the meeting with Cullen go?"

Temperance smiled broadly and bounced down onto her couch. Angela sat next her, warily. From there, Temperance told her what had transpired during the day, with the exception of Jon's, and her own revelations.

"Really?" Angela said skeptically. "Cullen's going to let you carry a gun?"

Temperance nodded her head, "Well at least for a little while…But that's not the best part!"

Angela replied, "Well of course not! You don't have to go out on the streets with Sully!"

Temperance sat forward, "True," she said nodding her head, and then she said, excitement filling her eyes, "but I found out who Jon is and why he's here."

Angela's eyes grew wide, "Oooh…tell…tell!" she said, moving closer.

Temperance took in a breath, "He's Booth's mentor…surrogate father." Angela was speechless. "He's here to help Booth get his marksmanship back to where he was so he wouldn't be involuntarily retired, or put on desk duty." She calculated whether to tell Angela the rest. "He also wants to help Booth see the world without all the guilt he's picked up through the years." Temperance couldn't help but imagine herself in the future…with Booth.

"Sweetie…" Angela began and then hugged her friend. "So, what is your place in this _Mission: Impossible_? And can I help?"

Temperance looked confused, "_Mission: Impossible_'? I don't know what that means."

Angela smiled, "Don't worry about it. What do we do?"

"I don't know," Temperance shook her head, "I'm going to talk to Jon later." Temperance took a deep breath, "Ange," she said, taking her friends hands, "there's something else." Angela was wary at this sudden seriousness in her friend. "you know how you've been trying to push Booth and me together?"

Angela replied, ready for another of Temperance's denials, "And you never listen."

Temperance looked into her friend's eyes, "You're right. These past few days I've been rolling it around in my head. What I said this morning? About not wanting to go back?" Angela nodded. "It's all true. But when I go forward, I want it to be with Booth! When I see my future, I see it with him!"

"What are you saying, Bren?"

"I don't know how or when it happened...I'm just glad it did...I'm in Love with Booth."

Hodgins and Zack were startled out of their concentration when they heard the two women scream. They didn't seem to be screams of pain, suffering or fear though. Perhaps delight would be a more descriptive term. When they didn't repeat, the situation seemed to be over and Zack and Hodgins went back to their work.

"Oh Sweetie," Angela said, wiping away tears, "have you told Booth yet?"

"Not yet," Temperance smiled, "I'll talk to him when I see him tonight."

"I want details," Angela smiled as she moved towards the door.

Temperance smiled and threw herself into the back of the couch. She looked up at the ceiling and remembered her dream of her and Booth in the soaking wet embrace. She also remembered Booth's voice from another time, _"Everything happens eventually…Just gotta be ready for it."_

* * *

Booth, with Jon in tow was on his third lap around the halls. "Man…you've really gotta take a step back."

"What," Jon said, "you used to like the smell of gunpowder."

"It's not that, it's your aftershave. It's starting to burn my eyes."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got your aftershave. Right here buddy."

Booth didn't have to look to know what part of Jon's anatomy he was referring to. He smiled. It had been awhile since he had been able to banter like this. He found he missed it. He stopped and readjusted the sling cradling his right arm. "I wish I didn't have to wear this thing." He grumbled. "I can't tell if the numbness and tingly sensations are because of the immobilization or something else."

Jon said, "Maybe we can have the Doc do some kind of evaluation." Booth looked at Jon hopefully. "Hey, it can't hurt to ask." Jon started to walk again. Booth followed along guiding his IV stand.

They passed the nurse's station. Neither man noticed the nurses had stopped doing their paperwork and other duties to watch them pass. But then again, neither man had noticed that Booth's hospital gown had worked its way open halfway up his back. Too engrossed in their conversation, they also missed the silent groans, fluttering eyelids and contortionist anglings for better views. The two men turned into Booth's room and the nurses let out a silent explosion of exhalations. They could breathe again.

Booth passed in front of Jon to get back into bed. "Whoa, there cowboy," Jon said, "Yer britches are half-hangin' out there, pardner." He started tying the gown back up when he heard a rustling outside. He turned to see two nurses scurry away. _"Yepper…too bad he's a one woman man, ladies."_ he smiled.

When Jon was done, Booth sat down on the bed. "So, what can you tell me about this guy, 'Tim Sullivan'?" Jon asked.

"Sully?" Booth asked. Jon nodded. "I worked with him on a couple of cases. Pretty good guy. Worked out of the Fort Myers Regional Office. He retired about a year and a half ago."

Jon continued, "Anything else?"

"Like what?" Booth asked. Jon's gaze never wavered. Booth sighed, "Okay…he and Bones had a thing going just before he retired."

"How serious?"

"Why all these questions about Sully?" Booth's voice became harder. "He's been gone for over a year."

"He was at the meeting today," Jon said unemotionally. Booth's face drained. "Now, how serious was the _'thing'_?"

Booth's mind began working, "Sully bought a boat and wanted Bones to go on a sabbatical and sail around the Caribbean with him for a year."

"She didn't go?" Jon asked. Booth shook his head. "Did she ever say why?"

"Bones and I had a rough time after he left. We both were afraid our partnership was the reason she didn't go," Jon nodded, "but the therapist I had been seeing assured us it was because she couldn't lead a purposeless life at the time."

Jon stopped, "Therapist? You?"

"Yeah…I was ordered to undergo counseling because I shot a clown." Booth admitted.

"_What?__"_

"Well, it wasn't a real clown. It was a clown head on top of an ice cream truck." Jon looked at Booth. Booth tried to minimize the damage. "There weren't any kids around."

"Okay…so this therapist gave you this cock and bull story about a purposeless life. Could she live one now?" Jon asked.

"I don't know…maybe." Booth said. "She's more open to not being all rational and scientific all the time…" he trailed off. "How did Sully find out about the meeting?"

"Evidently he was with her when she got Cullen's call." Jon explained.

"That must be what took her so long the other night…" Booth started.

Jon connected the dots Booth was playing with, "Wait a minute, Seel," he warned, "She acted like she thought you knew he was back in DC." Booth looked at him questioningly. "Has he been up to see you? Talked to you? At all?"

Booth shook his head, "No…nothing."

"Before you go off…turning your back on somebody you care about and putting up walls…let me do some digging." Jon said. "See what kind of game he's playing." Booth nodded absently. "Did he know how you felt about her?"

"I don't know…he asked me once if I wanted her," Booth admitted. "Actually he accused me of wanting her."

"And you said…?" Jon asked leading Booth to the answer.

"Well, I didn't say, 'Yes' if that's what you're getting at." Booth said. Jon exhaled noisily, exasperated.

Jon said, very slowly, "Did…you…say…no?"

"Ah…ummm…I think I changed the subject."

"And this guy was in the FBI?" Jon asked.

"Yeah…primarily as a profiler."

"Okay…he's either an idiot or a snake." Booth gave Jon a confused look. "An FBI profiler, a supposed friend, can't see that you have feelings for your partner; that would make him an idiot. _Or_ he sees it and goes ahead and pursues her anyway; that would make him a snake."

"What caused them to get together in the first place?"

"Well, after shooting the clown," Booth saw a slight smile come to Jon's face. "I was on desk duty, and there was a case in Florida." Booth saw Jon's face take on a faux hurt look, "I was going to stop in and see you while I was down there," he added quickly, "but like I said, I was on desk duty and Bones worked with Sully on the case."

"So that case took a month to clear…and you were in therapy for that month?"

"No, she returned to DC after about a week…" Booth trailed off for a moment, "And then all of a sudden, Sully was working out of the DC office. I guess they just continued up here what they started down there."

"How were you and she before the 'clown incident'?" Jon asked.

"Well, I had reconnected with an old girlfriend, Cam, for awhile," Jon looked at him, "It wasn't anything serious. We would get together sometimes, and then we would break our plans if something else came up…it was pretty much just a physical thing," he remembered Bones' and his Thai food dinner in the lab's lounge after the case about girls' beauty pageants. "But I could feel myself wanting to get closer to Bones the more time I spent with her."

Booth smiled, "We went out to Vegas once," Jon looked at Booth worriedly; Booth noticed, "Don't worry; I didn't gamble…We had to go undercover in an underground fight club." Booth's smile broadened, "She was Roxie…and she was great! Looked great in her slinky outfits, too!" He laughed. Jon watched, spellbound, as Booth relived his experiences with Temperance. He already knew how Booth felt about her, but he needed to have _him_ say it. "When we got back, she and Hodgins were kidnapped and buried alive by the Gravedigger…Man! I was crazy! Trying to get the squints to focus to figure out where they were. I knew she and Hodgins would figure out how to extend their air supply. We just had to figure out where she was." Jon noticed that he had dropped the 'Hodgins' reference and said 'she' but said nothing. "Once we figured out where they were, we went to the location, it was some kind of excavation company. Basically a big pit. No way to know where to dig. I saw a puff of dirt and ran as fast as I could and started digging with my hands to get to her…" Booth recalled, he corrected himself, "them." He added. "We got them…Bones had used the airbags to loosen the soil so they could dig themselves out." Tears welled in his eyes. "I was never so happy to see someone in all my life."

"Never?" Jon asked.

Booth looked at Jon a moment, and then smiled. "Okay…but it comes in a close second." Jon returned the smile. "We just seemed to be getting closer and closer. Through the case with the guy that killed his brother in the woods, through the case where Bones' father killed Deputy Director Kirby…" Jon dropped the pen he had been taking notes with, but he didn't interrupt, "that's when Epps escaped from prison. During that case, the entire squint squad was in danger. Angela had a human heart sent to her, Cam got poisoned and almost died, and Zack was almost blown up." Booth shook his head. "It ended up with Epps hanging from Bones' balcony and me trying to pull him up. I couldn't hold on, and he fell 50 feet…dead…" Booth quieted.

"And it was your fault," Jon said.

"Of course it was."

"And you pushed everybody away."

"To protect them."

"No doubt…no doubt." Jon said, "And you pushed her into his arms."

"At the time, I thought she'd be happier…better off, with him."

"And now?"

"I don't know if she'd be happier with him, but I'm not so sure she'd be happy with me either." Booth said quietly.

"And how do you feel?"

"Well…you know…" Booth squirmed, "I want to her to be happy." He subtly shrugged his shoulders and looked away.

Jon stood up and moved to the end of the bed. "Look at me." Booth obeyed. "Look me in the eyes and tell me…Is she the first thought in the morning? The last thought before sleep? The woman who makes your heart beat fast. The woman you look for across the room? The woman whose glance you wish for? Do you love her?" Booth swallowed…tears filled his eyes…he nodded.

"You have to say it."

"I Love her," his voice cracked, "But I don't deserve her."

Jon smiled, "All right then. Let's see what happens." Booth nodded, composing himself. After a few moments Jon said, "I'm going to take off now. Do you have somebody who can take care of this 'Old Man and the Sea' look?"

"Yeah," Booth grabbed his phone and keyed through his address book. He hit Send and waited. "Gloria? Hi, it's Booth. Can you fit a friend of mine in tonight? A shave and a haircut…if you've got a spare personality you can put in, that would be great." He listened a moment and looked at Jon, "Eight-thirty ok?" Jon nodded. To the phone, "That would be fine. Thanks a lot. Bye." Booth gave Jon the address.

"Thanks a lot, Seel." Jon said. "Remember, not everything is as it seems." Booth nodded. "See you tomorrow."

As Jon left Booth's room, upon turning left he ran smack into Temperance who had been standing there. She was on the verge of tears. He quickly swiveled his head, taking in who had seen them. He grabbed her arm and guided her into an empty room.

"How much did you hear?"

"'How were you and she before the 'clown incident'?'" Temperance repeated.

"You can't tell him," Jon said.

"Tell him what?" He looked at her. She averted her eyes. "Why not? Shouldn't he know that I love him?"

"Yes…he should. But not now," Jon said. Temperance looked at him quizzically. "He's not ready to believe it. Just like, you didn't know how to make him understand it wasn't his fault back when he dropped Epps off your balcony. He wants to make things 'right'. We have to make him 'right' first." Temperance nodded. Jon looked at his watch. "I've got a couple of appointments I have to attend to tonight. We'll talk again later, okay?" Jon smiled.

Temperance smiled back and walked to Booth's room. She stood in the doorway and looked at him. Booth saw her and smiled. "What did they used to say in those old television shows? 'Honey, I'm home'," she said.

Booth's smile broadened, "Tough day at work? Sorry I don't have a martini ready."

She moved into the room and closed the door. "Ahh…who needs a martini?" She reached in her bag and fished out two bottles of Miller Genuine Draft beer.


	16. Alibi Lounge & Voices in the Dark

The bar was neither a dive, where power drinkers came to wash the day's troubles away, nor a hip, upscale bistro where the trendsetters and power brokers came to schmooze amongst themselves. Jon had been here many times before. While not this one in particular, he remembered so many others like it. Dark, with spot lighting breaking up the shadows here and there. A few booths, with their deep-red leather substitute, some with patched tears, lined the walls. They beckoned and offered a modicum of privacy in the otherwise gauntlet-inspired tracts of tables and chairs. At the far end lay the bar with its sentinels of stools lining the expanse across the width of the bar. The bottles of the various liquors lined the back of the bar, soldiers awaiting their orders. A television tuned to a baseball game angled away from its perch on the left-hand wall. Its twin, showing a different game, stood guard on the opposite wall. A jukebox, hanging on the wall below the television belted out a country western song. About halfway between the door and the bar, the tables and chairs gave way to an island of a dance floor. Small and well used, Jon could imagine the men and women swaying to a ballad thrumming from the jukebox. People were scattered here and there. Some in couples, some in larger groups. When he passed, he could feel their eyes on him. _"That's right,"_ he thought. _"Make the new customers feel as conspicuous as possible. Let's have the regulars size them up like meat on a block as they negotiate the obstacle course."_ Jon sized up the patrons and could see there was no one segment of the population that appeared dominant. Young…older…working class…white collar. As he moved through the maze of tables and chairs, he saw that a small alcove exited from the dance floor on the right. A booth stood guard on each side of the open archway. _"A game room,"_ Jon surmised upon looking in and seeing the pool table and accompanying trappings…tall chairs, rack of spare cues hanging on the wall, chalk cone, tiffany-style fluorescent light fixture above the table. He stopped when he saw a familiar figure. About 5' 10", lean, baseball cap on backwards. _"Sully,"_ Jon identified. _"He really does look like somebody trying too hard to be 'cool'."_ Sully looked up and saw him. Jon could see recognition creep across his face. Jon smirked and continued his trek to the bar. He could see Charlie in conversation with the bartender.

The bartender noticed him first. Once Charlie had noticed his stare he turned, and upon recognizing Jon, waved him over. As Jon neared the end of the labyrinth, a voice from behind and to the right said, "Hey! No Gays allowed in here!" Jon turned and saw Sully, laughing, with a beer bottle in his hand. Jon could hear laughter coming from the game room.

Looking around the main room, he could see a variety of people rolling their eyes and shaking their heads at one another. "I guess you better leave then," Jon said back. Sully stopped laughing, but the laughter in the game room rose. "Don't worry," Jon said, "If anybody asks, I won't tell." Now laughter and chuckling came from some of the people in the main room. The bartender, one of them.

Sully pointed his beer bottle at Jon, "You know what you need?"

"I'm sure you're about to tell me," Jon responded, "But honestly, I'm strictly heterosexual. You'll just have to find someone else tonight."

"You need to have your ass kicked" Sully yelled.

Silence enveloped the bar. It seemed even the jukebox was waiting, as the music had stopped and it sat waiting for another feeding of money.

Jon looked at his watch and in a normal tone of voice said, "Well, since you obviously think you're the man to do it, shall we get started now? Or do you want to finish your beer first?"

Seconds ticked away…the two men looking at each other. Charlie appeared and stepped into their line of sight. Sully turned away and went back into the game room amid howls of false awe. Jon smiled and shook Charlie's hand. He clapped his shoulder and said, "Nice…you defused that very nicely." Charlie looked at Jon and just shook his head. He directed Jon to the bar. "What kind of an idiot thinks that being a homosexual is an insult?" Jon continued, shaking his head.

"Mike," Charlie said to the bartender, as he started making the introductions, "this is an old friend of Booth's, Jon Smith…Jon, Mike Jones." The two men shook hands. "Mike is a retired Agent," Charlie added.

"Pleased to meet you," Mike said, "How is Booth doing?"

"He's doing well," Jon answered.

"Good…good," Mike responded, "He doesn't come in often, but I always liked him."

"Unlike some of the others?" Jon asked, nodding towards the game room.

Mike's expression turned to one of disgust, "Well, you have to put up with all kinds when you own a bar."

"Tell me about it," Jon laughed.

"What are you drinking?" Charlie asked.

"Just a club soda with a twist of lemon." Jon said as he sat next to Charlie.

"Whoa! You're gonna be a cheap date!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Just remember, I don't go all the way on the first date," Jon said, and the three men laughed.

Over the course of the next forty-five minutes or so, the three men exchanged stories of their backgrounds, office politics and structure at the Bureau. As well as one or two stories of Booth.

"So what's the story with," Jon nodded his head towards the game room.

Charlie said, "He's just a real pain in the butt. Always has an agenda going." Jon nodded. "I didn't really trust the guy when he worked for the Bureau." Charlie continued. "And I sure as hell don't trust him now."

"Guy's always got something working." Mike added.

"How long he been coming in?"

Both Charlie and Mike considered, "Been about a year and a half, hasn't it?" Charlie asked Mike.

"About that," Mike nodded. "He stopped coming in for awhile, then only about two or three times a month for about nine months now."

The bar had gotten busier. Jon noticed Charlie looking at something. He turned and saw a pretty blond flouncing toward the bar. Jon sized her up quickly, _"Party Girl." _He heard Sully's voice carrying over the jukebox, "Dora, where ya going?"

The woman gave Jon a quick once over and sidled up to Charlie. "How ya doin' Charlie?"

Charlie, looking astonished, said, "Okay, Dora…what's up with you?"

"Oh…same old, same old," now looking directly at Jon, "Who's your friend?"

"_Oh…man…this is trouble,"_ Jon thought.

"Ummm," Charlie said, "Jon Smith...Dora."

"Pleased to meet you," Dora said. "Are you an FBI guy too?"

"Yes, I am," Jon said.

Dora started moving her hand across Jon's beard, "Aren't you guys supposed to be clean shaven or something like that?" She crinkled up her face in obvious mock displeasure. Jon moved his head back, out of her reach.

He looked at Charlie, who found the ceiling infinitely more interesting at that precise moment. "Yes, I'll be getting it shaved off tonight."

"Ohh…I'll be back tomorrow then!" She smiled and scooped out an ice cube from Jon's drink and popped it into her mouth. She turned and sashayed back to the game room.

"Mike," Jon started, "Could I have a refill…in a clean class with fresh ice?" He turned to Charlie. "What was that all about?"

Mike nodded, pleased at Jon's perceptiveness. Charlie noted, "Pass around girl. She comes in and goes home with whoever she feels like." Jon looked at Charlie. "Hey…not me." Charlie protested. Then with a nod, "At one time I had wanted to, but I never made the grade," he added, "Thank God."

"Sully sure seems to have gotten in good with her," Jon noted.

"She'll usually go with him exclusively when he's here." Mike noted as he placed the fresh drink in front of Jon. "Been that way ever since he started coming around."

"Really?" Jon asked, "All the way back a year and a half ago?"

"Yupper." Mike affirmed. Jon did the math and nodded. "But some of the others she's been with…" Mike shivered, "It's a wonder his Johnson hasn't turned black and fallen off."

Jon lowered his voice, "Look, remember I asked you if you'd be up to do some digging for me?" Charlie nodded. "I'd like you to find out all you can about…" Jon nodded towards the game room, "Still up for it?"

Charlie's eyes lit up. He mouthed the word, "Sully?" Jon nodded. "You bet, "Charlie said.

"Just what he's doing here. Contacts…work…what he's doing for money…that kind of stuff. I'll take care of digging into him down in Florida." Jon explained.

"Do we need to keep this just between us?" Charlie asked. Jon gave him a questioning look. "I know a few other people that might be able to help."

"I don't want anybody on a vendetta," Jon said, "I don't want fabricated evidence."

"It won't be," Charlie assured him. "Just some people who are looking to see him get his comeuppance. They'll be real assets."

"I'm in." Mike said, his gaze fixed on wiping the bar.

Jon stood, "All right then…I'll see you tomorrow, Charlie." He stopped, "Do you want to be called something other than 'Charlie'?" Charlie and Mike exchanged glances. Mike extended his hand towards Charlie, with his palm up…in a _'Didn't I tell you gesture?'_

"Yeah…I've never liked being called that. But outside of 'Charles', I don't know what else there is. 'Chuck' doesn't seem to fit. Those are the only two I know of."

"I'll think about it," Jon said as he started making his way to the door.

* * *

Booth continued this latest lap around the ward. The gentle _'whoosh'_ of the hospital slippers seemed to echo down the hall. It was dark outside. The dimmed lights in the hallway seemed to suppress all other sounds. He was getting good at walking again. His only problems came when one of the IV stand's wheels would freeze in one position. It reminded him of the rickety carts he would push in the supermarket when he was a kid; tagging along with his mother while she shopped for groceries.

He thought of Bones. _"She brought my favorite kind of beer."_ He thought. _"Not that Moroccan stuff."_ He smiled. _"I wonder if they'll be able to tell?"_ And then he realized he really didn't care.

Whoosh…whoosh…whoosh…whoosh…Click…shooosh…and then the high pitch scraping of the wheel. Booth was starting to tire. He turned back into his room. He breathed in the air. Booth could slightly discern Bones' perfume. He closed his eyes, wishing that when he opened them she would be there. Booth's eyes opened, to an empty room.

He sat on the bed and silently removed his slippers. He leaned back against the bed, locked in its upright position. Booth turned and looked at the telephone. His heart shaking, he moved the phone to rest in his lap. He took a deep breath and removed the handset from the cradle.

* * *

The phone rang.

Temperance jumped at the sound. In her darkened apartment, it seemed much louder than she remembered. _"Do I really want to talk to anybody?"_ She thought, _"No…I'll let the machine get it."_ The second ring echoed through her apartment, burning into her ears. _"What if it's Booth?" …"Why would Booth be calling? He's never called me this late."_ The third ring cut into her ears. _"Did it seem to sound more insistent?"_ She moved towards the phone almost in a trance. It started its fourth and, she knew, final ring. She picked it up. "Hello?" She said uncertainly.

"Hi," Booth said softly, "Did I wake you?"

"No…I was just…" She smiled, _"thinking about you,"…_"I was getting ready for bed," she said.

Booth could hear her smile; he tried to push the thought of her undressing out of his mind, "I'm sorry to bother you."

"No…" she said, "It's no bother. Is anything wrong?"

"Oh…no, Temperance," he only now realized she might worry unnecessarily, "I...I just wanted…"

Temperance caught her breath.

"I…I just wanted…" he took a deep breath, "…to hear your voice."

"I'm glad you called," she smiled again.

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to hear yours."

This time, she could hear him smile, "See you tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yes…do you want me to bring you anything?"

"Just you…"

"Goodnight," she said softly.

"Goodnight," he said softly, and hung up the phone, _"Last voice to hear at the end of the day,"_ He thought, and closed his eyes.

* * *

She hung up the phone and began moving towards her bedroom. The apartment didn't seem quite so empty now. She heard his voice echoing through her body. His shirt somehow felt warm upon her body. His socks slid easily across her floor. She reached down, pulled up his collar and breathed deeply. She absently wondered how long his scent would last. She'll have to figure out a way to get another one of his shirts.


	17. New Beginnings

The bright light blinded Jon. He turned away, blinking his eyes. But with every blink, he could still see the brilliant strobe of the digital camera's flash. After a couple of seconds, his eyes focused on Charlie, standing off to the side. "Don't you just hate that?" Charlie asked.

Jon had to agree. "This is just one of the many reasons I don't like having my picture taken."

Charlie laughed, "And the others?"

"I could go bankrupt paying for all the cameras I've broken," Jon retorted.

This was the second stop on his first-day tour of FBI land again. When he arrived, he had gone straight to Cullen for his agenda and a discussion of the scope and limits of his authority. Cullen had told him he would carry the rank of Special Agent, as before, with no difference in responsibilities or authority to a normal Agent. Cullen had debated who to assign to Jon as part of his team, when Jon had suggested Charlie.

"You know that Charlie has been primarily an office rat?" Cullen had asked.

Jon nodded, "Do you see him as forever that type of Agent, or do you think he can grow into working in the field?"

"I honestly don't know," Cullen answered. Looking at Jon he said, "I guess we're going to find out, aren't we?"

Jon nodded, "Good…which desk will I be working from?"

"You can work out of Booth's office," Cullen saw Jon's disapproving look, "until he returns."

"Well, that might work for a bit, but when Booth returns on desk duty until he can be designated as field ready, it'll get mighty crowded in there." Jon explained. "I'm perfectly fine working out of a cube. And the caseload probably wouldn't justify much more than that."

Cullen nodded. He knew Jon and Booth could work out of the same office with no problems whatsoever. This was just Jon's way of telling everyone else that Booth was coming back…that he wasn't taking his place. "You can work out of Marie's cube until she gets back. She's out on maternity leave." Jon opened his mouth to respond when Cullen added, "It just started last week. She hasn't had the baby yet, so I'd estimate you've got about three months." Jon nodded in agreement. Cullen stood, with his hand extended. "It's good to have you back, Jon."

Jon shook Cullen's hand. "I'm sorry for your loss, Sam. Amy was a sweet kid. I know you needed some time away…that's why you took the sabbatical. I'm glad you're back, doing what you're best at."

"Thanks, Jon." Cullen said appreciatively. He coughed, and said, "Now, let's get you going." As they left Cullen's office, he pulled out a credentials case from his jacket pocket and, with a smile, handed it to Jon. "Welcome aboard."

Jon opened the case and looked at the badge. It had been a long time. He ran his fingers over the metal's facing. Letting his fingers read the lines and edges like Braille. He smiled and turned to his old friend, "Thank you, Sir. It's good to be back."

Cullen returned the smile and walked back to his office, _"Back in Agent mode already."_ He was always amazed at how his old friend could compartmentalize.

Jon walked over to Charlie's desk. When Charlie looked up from his paperwork, he could hardly recognize the man he had joked with in the bar just last night. He stood up and extended his hand, "Welcome back, Sir," he said smiling.

Jon groaned inwardly. "Please don't call me 'Sir'. Jon will do just fine. Or Agent Smith if we're out in public or we have a visitor here."

"Will do," Charlie said. "I've got to admit, you sure look different," he laughed.

"Yeah," Jon responded, rubbing his face where his beard used to be. "I do clean up nice, don't I?"

Charlie found a set of keys on the desk and handed them to Jon, "Your vehicle." Jon looked at Charlie questioningly. "Standard issue SUV." Charlie explained. "Your dispatch call sign is," reading from a sheet of paper, "22705." He handed the paper to Jon. "That was Booth's designation."

Jon looked up from reading the paper, "That's not going to work." To Charlie, "Can you please get me dispatch?" Charlie nodded and, after looking on a cheat sheet on his cubicle wall, dialed the number. He handed the phone to Jon.

"Dispatch," came the voice over the phone.

"Yes, hello. This is Special Agent Jon Smith. Who am I speaking to, please?"

"Good morning Agent Smith, my name is Jane. What can I do for you?"

"Well, it seems there has been a mistake in the assignment of unit number for my vehicle. You've got me designated as 22705 when that is actually Special Agent Seeley Booth."

"Yes sir, I see that. Just a moment while I get to another screen." Silence on the line, "Sir? That happened because you have taken Agent Booth's spot in the roster. He has been deactivated with an ETR of three months."

"I don't really think that's going to work as I anticipate Agent Booth being back possibly sooner and we'll have two units with the same designation."

"Hmmm…I see your point sir. But I'm not sure we can do anything about it. We use the designation to record all calls."

"How about if you designate me as 22705b and keep Agent Booth as 22705?" Jon offered.

"Let me see if the system will take that…" more silence on the line, "It looks like that worked, sir." Jon nodded and smiled. "All that I'll need is for your divisional supervisor to forward the paperwork to document the change."

Jon smiled, "We'll send that out today. Thanks for all your help, Jane."

"My pleasure Agent Smith."

Jon handed the phone back to Charlie. "That was easy." Charlie nodded with a look of surprise. "Where is Marie's desk? I'll be working out of it until she gets back." Charlie pointed to a cubicle to the left of Booth's doorway. "Okay, can you do all the paperwork to get my calls and interoffice and outside mail routed there? And also the paperwork changing my designation to 22705b?"

"Sure, no problem," Charlie said. "First we need to take you down to get your credentials. I'm sure you don't want to be out on the street with only your badge."

"Good point," Jon agreed.

* * *

"You know…" Hodgins said, "We've never actually seen this 'Jon' guy." Everybody stopped their examination of the remains on the table and looked at him. Even Temperance. He shook his head, "Hey! I'm just saying...I've never seen the guy. And I've been to see Booth at least three times since he's gotten off the ventilator." He looked at everybody else, "Has anybody else seen him, besides Brennan?"

Temperance turned back to the remains, "Angela, as soon as Zack is done with the tissue markers I'll need you to input the data and give us a preliminary rendering of him."

"I haven't seen him," agreed Zack. "But I've only been to the hospital when Dr. Hodgins was there as well.

Angela agreed, "Well, I've been there more than anybody else except Brennan," Hodgins looked at her expectantly, "and I haven't seen him either." Temperance looked at her friend, astonished. "Hey," Angela continued, "it does seem kind of odd that none of us have ever seen him. And you've got to admit, a short, one-eyed, scraggly, bearded guy wearing Hawaiian shirts would be kind of hard to miss.""

Cam stood up straight, "All right people, that's enough."

Temperance said, "Thank you, Cam."

"No problem, Dr Brennan." She looked from one of the group to the other, "If Dr Brennan interacts with a _'special'_," Cam used two fingers on both hands to designate quotation marks, "friend to help her get through this trying time, then we should all be supportive."

Exasperated, Temperance straightened up and said, "All right. He will be here later on today, and you will all see that I have not been hallucinating."

"What's his name again? Jon 'Two-Gun Kid' Smith?" Hodgins laughed with his two index fingers and thumbs held like pistols.

"Laugh it up, funny man," Temperance said returning to her study of the remains, "Just remember, I'm now qualified by the FBI to carry a gun." She raised her gaze to Jack, "And I'm duly authorized to use it in the performance of my duties."

Jack stopped laughing and swallowed, hard. "You know I was just kidding…"

Temperance shook her head, "You know, if my _special_ friend tells me I should shoot somebody, I'm honor bound to follow his orders." She hardened her expression. "It could mean my life." She straightened up; turned her back to the group and began walking to the stairs. She snapped one glove off, and then the other. Temperance smiled at the silence behind her.

* * *

Jon pulled the black SUV into the visitors' parking space at the Jeffersonian Institute. He hated this part. Being introduced to a new team…being on display…being judged by people unknown to him. He turned the key. He picked up the hand radio, "Dispatch…22705b" From the radio, "22705b…dispatch…go" Into the radio, "Dispatch…22705b is 10-7 at the Jeffersonian Institute…over." "Roger 22705b…out of service at the Jeffersonian Institute…over." "10-4…22705b…out"

He got out of the vehicle and began walking to the front doors. He saw two guards standing on either side of the doors. He removed his credentials case and opened it so they could see the badge and ID. The guards waved him through. _"Wow,"_ he thought, _"I had forgotten how good that feels."_

He began running through the rest of his agenda for the day, _"Meet Dr. Brennan's team…See Booth…Call Jim...Meet Chaz and the others at the bar later tonight…"_ He desperately hoped neither Sully nor Dora would be there.

He entered through the doors and walked the hallway leading to the lab.

He stopped once he got into the main area of the lab. It was impressive. Straight ahead he saw the raised platform where he assumed most of the forensic work was done. A number of people in blue lab coats were on the platform discussing something. Dr. Brennan wasn't one of them. A coffee-skinned woman was deep in conversation with another woman and two men. The other woman was taller, possibly of mixed Asian descent. One of the men, he guessed, was about his own height, thin, with curly hair and a beard. The other man was younger, taller and more heavily built. He wore his hair close-cropped. It looked like the group was sharing a private joke as they burst into laughter. He didn't think they had seen him yet. He swiveled his head to the left and saw a row of offices, separated by thick glass construction. Looking towards the right, he could see directly into Dr Brennan's office. She was staring intently upon something on her computer screen. He turned and began walking towards her office.

It was at that moment that Angela noticed the man in the grey pin-striped suit. She could see a badge hanging from his breast pocket. The rest of the group noticed her gaze and followed it to the man walking toward Brennan's office. "Well," Angela said, "he's definitely short…"

"But he's certainly not scraggly, "Cam finished.

"And that sure doesn't look like a Hawaiian shirt." Hodgins said. "From what I can see, that's quality workmanship."

Cam and Zack looked at Hodgins. He looked back. Angela responded, "Okay, Hodgins does have some nice suits."

"How come we never see them?" Cam asked.

"I don't fall into wearing the uniform of the ruling elite very often," Hodgins answered, "But when I do, I like to look good." Cam looked at Angela who nodded enthusiastically.

Jon knocked on the open glass door. Temperance, only seeing the person out of the corner of her eye, said, "Yes, can I help you?"

A familiar voice said, "I was just wondering if you wanted to ride with me to the hospital to see Booth."

She turned and could not hide her astonishment. "Wow! Is that you, Jon?"

"You don't have to sound so surprised, you know," he said. "I wasn't born with long hair and a beard."

She smiled, "No, of course not. But I wasn't expecting…"

"Me to clean up so well?"

"Well…yeah!"

"See that? I _can_ wear big boy clothes," he smiled. "I just thought I might come over and meet your team and then maybe we can go see Booth…perhaps get a bite to eat?"

"Sounds good. They were giving me grief today about my 'invisible friend'." Temperance leaned down and saved her work on the computer, then signed off. "Let's go meet the others, "she smiled.

Temperance swiped her card in the reader at the bottom of the steps. She stepped up and motioned for Jon to do the same. "I'll see about getting you an access card."

"Do you think I'll need one?"

"Just in case you're here when I'm not."

Jon shrugged, "Okay, you swipe the card when coming up onto the platform, do you need to swipe it when going down?"

"No, you don't," Temperance said thoughtfully. "I never realized it before. I wonder why?"

"I was just wondering what the triggering mechanism was." The group of two men and two women had been watching Brennan's and his approach. _"Here we go,"_ he thought.

Temperance began the introductions, going around the group, "Jon, this is Dr. Camille Saroyan, Angela Montenegro, Dr. Jack Hodgins and Dr. Zack Addy. Everybody, this is Special Agent?" She looked to Jon for confirmation. He nodded; she continued, "Jon Smith."

As the introductions were being made, Jon had moved forward and shaken Hodgins' and Zack's hands. When he came to Cam and Angela, he grasped their hands lightly and held them a moment before releasing them. Temperance at first thought he was going to kiss their hands. He seemed _'Quaint and Traditional'_ she thought.

Jon said with a smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you all. I look forward to working with you. I know that you have all built a bond of trust and respect with Agent Booth. Let me tell you straight up that I'm not here to replace him. I'm just here, keeping his spot warm until he returns. I know I've got some questions for you and you may have some for me. So let's fire away and get them out of the way."

Zack said, "I thought there was a height requirement for the FBI?"

Jon responded, "There might be…but I've always been able to pass the physical requirements, so maybe they overlooked them...it would be difficult not to overlook me." To make the point he waved his hand about a foot above his head. Either no one caught the joke, or they didn't think it was funny. _"Tough crowd,"_ he thought.

Temperance noted that Jon had taken out a small stack of index cards and was jotting notes on them. _"I wonder who taught who?"_ She thought and smiled at the similarity.

Jon asked, "How should I address all of you? Should I call you Doctor? Is there anybody here besides me who doesn't have a Doctorate?" Jon raised his hand. Angela was the only one who raised her hand. "What do you do amongst all these credentialed people?"

Angela smiled, "I do facial reconstructions, some computer work in imaging and recreations. You can call me Angela."

"An artist?" Jon asked. Angela nodded. "Great…at least there's at least one 'Heart' person here amongst all the "Brain" people."

Temperance, whose mind had partly been traveling over to Booth's room, was jarred back to the present, _"What did he just say?"_

Jon continued, "I'd like to see your work sometime." Angela's smile broadened.

Hodgins spoke up, "I'm the 'bug and slime guy'. You can call me Hodgins or Jack. I'm not big on titles."

Jon said, "Particulates and Trace Evidence?" Jack nodded approvingly.

"I deal mainly with the soft tissue and chemical analysis," Cam said. "DNA, Blood typing, I also perform autopsies when needed."

"Do I call you Dr Saroyan?

Cam smiled warmly, "No, Cam will do." Jon returned her smile just as warmly. _"Cam,"_ he thought, drawing some conclusions and cataloguing the information away.

"I am another Forensic Anthropologist. I used to be Dr. Brennan's grad student before I achieved my Doctorate. Dr. Saroyan hired me to keep the team intact. I deal primarily with the skeletal system," Zack offered. "Everyone around here calls me Zack, except Naomi from Paleontology, she calls me..."

Hodgins, jumped in, "Zack will do fine. What should we call you?" He asked Jon.

"Jon is fine…or Smith if you prefer. If you want to be more formal, Agent Smith. But that doesn't sound very friendly to me." He got blank stares from the group. "Kind of like when you were a kid and," using Cam as an example, 'your mother would normally call you Cam, but if you were in trouble, she'd say…"Cam nodded her head, and said in unison with Jon, "Camille." She started laughing.

"How about Jonny or Smitty?" Angela asked, winking at Temperance.

Jon answered lightheartedly while writing on one of his note cards, "Not if you expect me to answer."

The group laughed. "Are there any protocols I need to be aware of?" Jon asked. Again the blank looks. "That is, if I have a question about particulates in a case, can I go directly to Jack? Or do I need to go through Dr. Saroyan or Dr Brennan or is it someone else? Is there a hierarchy set up?"

Temperance began, "Cam is in charge, but even though we'll be working together in the field, I have no problem with you going directly to Jack, Angela, Zack or Cam. Just as long as eventually you get around to telling me what you've found out, or what you've figured out from the evidence." Jon looked around and got nods from everyone.

"I think that's all the questions I've got for now. Unless you've got some more for me?" Jon said.

"Is it true you can fire with both hands simultaneously?" Hodgins asked. Jon looked at Temperance who tried very hard to avoid his gaze. He nodded and shrugged his shoulders.

"How do you do that with only one eye?" Zack asked.

"Luck," Jon deadpanned. When it was evident they didn't know he was joking, he continued, "Muscle memory. After repeating an action so often, the muscles have a tendency to repeat that action. I can also see shapes and colors in my bad eye, so I'm not completely blind."

"Can we see your guns?" Zack asked.

Jon shot Temperance a surprised look. She shrugged. "Well, I would, but I belong to a religious sect where if I bring out my weapons I can't sheathe them until they've drawn blood."

Silence…and a few wide-eyed stares. "Man!" Jon whined, "You guys have _got_ to lighten up a bit." He held both lapels and pulled the jacket open so they could see his holstered weapons.

Temperance stepped in, "All right, are there any non-weapons-related questions? No? Okay, we're going to the hospital to see Booth." She started directing Jon to the stairs.

"Anybody else want to come? We're going to get something to eat as well?" Jon added.

Temperance answered, "No…they're fine."

As Temperance pushed him down the steps, Jon waved and said, "Nice to meet you." He turned and as Temperance went to get her things from the office he started walking slowly to the doors.

Up on the platform, Angela said, "He's not what I expected."

"Is that good or bad?" Hodgins asked.

"Oh, definitely good…I think we'll be in good hands." Angela answered.

Cam turned back from watching him leave, "He certainly doesn't look like he's in his 50s." She smiled and silently mouthed the word _'Wow'_ to Angela. Angela smiled back. Unfortunately, Cam had forgotten that Hodgins and Zack were there as well.

"I'm afraid I didn't quite hear that, Dr. Saroyan." Hodgins said. He continued, louder, "Could you speak up a bit?"

Zack looked curiously from Hodgins to Cam, "As usual, I don't know what's going on."


	18. Muses

"Do you know anybody in the real estate market?" Jon asked.

Temperance looked at him from the passenger seat, "You thinking of buying a house?'

"I'm looking for a piece of property," Jon said, shaking his head, "Not a house. More like commercial property. A warehouse, with a basement preferably. Someplace secluded."

"Why do you think I would know how to go about finding one?" Temperance asked.

"Well, you're smart. If you don't know how, you could figure it out. You've got connections in town. And you said you wanted to help."

She turned and looked directly at Jon. "This is someplace you want to rehab Booth?"

Jon nodded, "See? You're smart. I'll need a large basement, preferably running the length of the building so I can fix up a range that Seel can use in private."

"Anything else?"

"I'll need some contractors," he said, "to do quality work, quickly. I've drafted out some specifications. They'll be paid by the job, _not_ the hour." Temperance looked at him quizzically. "They'll do quicker work to get the job done so they can move on to their next job...I'd kind of like to be able to live in it too. I enjoy time spent on the boat," Jon said, "but sometimes you just gotta sleep on dry land."

Temperance, looking at Jon, smiled, "I'll see what I can do. You're sleeping on your boat?"

"Yepper."

"You've got three, right?" she asked. Jon nodded. "What did you name them? Or did you keep the same names as the previous owner?"

"Oh no…it's usually considered bad luck to re-name a boat unless you do a purging and then a re-naming ceremony for each one. The names my boats had when I acquired them," Temperance noticed he didn't say _'bought'_, "were Perfidious, Scoundrel, and Rapscallion." He looked at Temperance; she crinkled her nose at the sound of the names. "How could I have three boats with such unfriendly names?"

Temperance looked at him incredulously, "You don't mean you performed the ceremonies? With chanting and burning incense and all that?"

Jon said, "Well, for the purging ceremony there's an incantation that you repeat and with the finest champagne you can find, empty at least half the bottle into the sea from East to West." He looked at Temperance's dubious expression and continued. "Right after that, you perform a naming ceremony. Again with a few incantations and offerings of champagne to Poseidon and his court and the Four Winds. And of course if there is any left over, we get to drink it." Jon smiled.

Temperance looked intently at Jon to see if he was joking. He seemed dead serious. _'Sully sure didn't go through this much effort when he renamed his boat after me.'_ She shook her head and said teasingly, "So what did you name them? 'Honey'…'Baby'…and 'Sweetie'?"

Jon looked at her, hurt, "What kind of guy do you think I am? Give me a little credit."

"Okay, I'm sorry. So what did you name them?" she prepared herself for variations of the ones she had offered.

Jon glanced at her from the corner of his eye, "The two charter boats are 'Euterpe' and 'Terpsichore'. My boat is called 'Calliope'."

Temperance was stunned, "Three Muses?"

Jon turned to her, and smiled, "That's right…Euterpe – the Muse of Music and Lyric Poetry, Terpsichore – the Muse of Choral Song and Dance, and…" proudly, "Calliope – the Muse of Epic or Heroic Poetry." His smile grew wider. It was infectious. Temperance joined in.

"And Calliope was chief among the Muses, so it makes sense it would be yours." Temperance added. Jon nodded. "Why did you name them after Muses?" Temperance asked.

"After seeing so much pain, death and destruction," Jon said, still smiling, "It seemed right to surround myself and those around me with icons of life, love, music, poetry and dance."

"_I didn't know how right I was…Cullen…Jon…Booth. These' tough guys' are __very__ sentimental." _She thought.

"So, you never told me what you wanted to be called." Jon said as he angled the SUV through traffic. "Should I call you Dr Brennan?"

Temperance looked aghast. "That would be kind of awkward, wouldn't it? Seeing as how we started out as 'Jon' and 'Temperance'?"

Jon nodded in agreement. "Exactly…but it's also kind of informal, don't you think?" He thought about it, "Seel calls you 'Bones,' right?" He glanced out of the corner of his eye at her, and after seeing her horrified expression continued, "But that doesn't sound right, either."

"Just call me whatever you like," she said, "I'll get used to it."

Jon turned his head to the left, hiding a smirk, "Okay, _babe_."

Knowing she had just been poked, "In private you can call me 'Temperance' or 'Tempe', and in public 'Dr Brennan' will do. And I'll refer to you as 'Agent Smith'. Agreed, 'Smitty'?"

Jon smiled, "Agreed, Temperance." She was surprised at how comfortable she felt riding with Jon. "Temperance," he said, "I know you are a naturally curious person." She looked at him. "Most learned people, scientists are. They have a curiosity about how things work…how they're put together…how they interact with what's around them." Temperance wasn't sure where this was going. "What I'm getting at is I know you're curious about me…how Seel and I fell into the type of relationship we have." He turned to her. "I normally don't blurt things out unbidden. But if I'm asked, I'll answer any questions I can. If you want to know something, don't be afraid to ask. I'll tell you."

"How do you know you can trust me?" Temperance asked.

"Seel trusts you...that's enough for me." Jon said steadily. Temperance smiled and looked out the passenger window. "But if the question deals with something about what Seel thinks, or feels…well, that's got to come from him." Jon added.

"Okay…good to know." They drove on in silence for a couple of moments. Then she said, "What happened to your eye?"

"You start with that one?" He said, stunned. Jon removed his sunglasses, turned and looked at her. "You don't want to start out easy, like 'Where did you grow up?' or 'Do you have any family in the area?' or something like that?" He looked back at the traffic.

"Well, it's been hanging out there from our first meeting." Temperance explained. "It seemed to be an issue with your coming back to active status. And you and Booth danced around it when you first showed up." Jon glanced at her. She continued, "And I'm assuming that you will want me on your left when we get into a situation on the street to compensate for your lack of vision on that side. I just think it might be valuable information for me to know why." He turned back to the traffic. She could see him weighing her words. Finally he nodded in agreement.

"Okay…I was injured on 9/11." He said.

"Is that it? That was the big secret?" Temperance said, taken aback. She could see Jon tighten his jaw. She thought a second more and said softly, "There's something more, isn't there? Something else happened to you in New York."

"I wasn't in New York." Jon started. He stopped and turned to her. Seeing no malice in her eyes, he looked forward again. Jon found a parking spot and pulled in. Temperance looked at him, feeling the sadness radiate from him like asphalt on a summer day. "Seel didn't tell you about my second wife?" He said, his eyes never wavering from the car parked in front of them.

"No…was she in New York?" She said softly.

"I wish she was," Jon said wistfully. And then stronger, "You see, most people, when they think of 9/11 they think of New York, and the Twin Towers, and some think of Shanksville, and the courage of those passengers." He paused, and then began again, "Many people have completely forgotten there was another target…another plane." Temperance thought, _"The Pentagon."_ But now that he was speaking, she was afraid to interrupt. "Maybe because it was a government building, the targets were soldiers, I don't know. But somehow, what happened there doesn't quite measure up to the magnitude of the World Trade Center or Shanksville in people's minds. I was at The Pentagon that day…when the plane hit. I was working on something," he turned to Temperance, "that I can't tell you about." He faced forward again. "I was in C ring when the world exploded. I wasn't hurt seriously," Jon waved his hand close to his eye, "debris hit my eye. There was a lot of blood…" he started tapping the steering wheel with a finger. "I was bandaged up and sent to Bethesda for treatment. When I finally got through to Cynthia, she was almost beside herself with worry. She knew I was going to be there that day. Didn't know why…just knew I was going to be there." He smiled, "She screamed into the phone she was so happy and relieved. She was on her way to Bethesda to pick me up." The smile disappeared, "On 395, another car crossed the median and hit her. She died on impact." Temperance involuntarily sucked in a breath, dizzied by the horror Jon must feel. "The person who hit her wasn't a horrible person. Just an old guy, minding his business. And then, Bam! Heart Attack. Nobody to blame. Just a terrible accident." He turned to Temperance, his eyes glistening with tears, "People who had nothing to do with the planes or sites died, and are still dying today...asbestos exposure...survivor's guilt." He paused a moment, "Planes weren't the only weapons the terrorists used that day." He turned back to peering out the front window, looking at nothing. Temperance put her hand on his forearm.

* * *

They were moving again. Jon finally spoke, "So, that's the story how my career at the FBI was put on hold." He turned and flashed Temperance a smile. "Got any other questions?" Temperance could see no pain in his eyes, no remnant of hurt. He turned back to pay attention to the traffic, "I promise, with the exception of one other story, most of my background is pretty much tragedy-free." Temperance smiled. She knew there was more to learn about this closest of friends to Booth. Just as she knew there was so much more to learn about Booth.

"So, where did you grow up?"

Jon laughed.


	19. Food for Thought

Temperance hung up the phone. "He's going in for an MRI now," she said, looking at Jon. At his questioning look she said, "He's been having some numbness, burning and tingly sensations in his fingers. They don't know if there's actual damage to his nerves…so they're doing the MRI to get a better look."

Jon nodded, "I'm sure it's standard procedure in a case like this. They'll be able to tell if it's an actual severing of the nerves or if it's just compression." He continued, "If it's just compression, we should be able to work it out of him. It may take awhile, and he'll have to maintain some kind of regimen going forward to keep it from recurring."

"And if it's not compression? What if the nerves were severed?" Temperance asked.

Jon looked at her, "One step at a time, okay?" She nodded, gently holding her upper and lower lips between her teeth. "No sense borrowing trouble," he added.

Temperance agreed, "At least he's on solid food now."

Jon pulled out his cell phone. "What's the number to the nurse's station?"

"Why?"

He turned to her and smiled, "I've got an idea."

* * *

Booth sat in the wheelchair, his legs fidgeting. The orderly could feel the vibrations all the way up through his upper arms. "Mr. Booth," he said, "I understand your feelings about this, but it _is_ hospital regulations." Booth took a deep breath and tried to relax…unsuccessfully. "It's really for your own safety," the orderly assured him.

Booth thought, _"It could be worse. I could still have that IV stuck in me. At least I don't have to trail that bag and tubing around with me any more."_

The _'Ding'_ of the elevator car signaled the opening of the doors. The orderly pushed the chair through the threshold and then steered it down the corridor where Booth's room waited. Booth pointed at his room, "Look, there's my room. Can you just stop and let me walk the rest of the way?"

The orderly smiled and said, "Just be patient Mr. Booth. It'll all be over in a few moments."

"_Until the next test,"_ Booth grumbled to himself. Temperance walked out of his room looking down the corridor in the other direction. "Bones." He called, waving his free arm.

She turned, and smiled immediately. Booth smiled, feeling better about everything already. Jon followed Temperance out of the room. _"Oh-Oh."_ Booth thought, his smile fading a bit. Jon extended his arms downward with his palms face up, in a _'What's this?'_ expression of body language. Followed closely by him saying, "What's this? The poor baby can't even walk?"

Booth retorted, "What do you got there, Bones? A miniature FBI agent?"

Jon responded, "I got your 'miniature' right here buddy…" Then he stopped, and deadpanned, "Wait a minute…that didn't come out right."

"Hey," Booth answered, "you said it. I didn't." The orderly had gotten Booth to his doorway. Temperance always found this back-and-forth amusing. _"Two alpha-males performing the 'dominance' ritual."_ Booth looked to the orderly and said, "Is this far enough? Can I get up now?"

The orderly agreed, and Booth unsteadily rose out of the chair. Both Jon and Temperance readied themselves to catch him. As they watched him, he complained to Temperance and Jon, "What kind of place is this? First they say they want me up and walking around as much as possible. Then when they want me to go for a test, they put me in a wheelchair!" The orderly started moving away. Booth said to him sincerely, "Hey man! Thanks for your help!" The orderly smiled and nodded, "No problem, sir."

Temperance thought, _"How do they do that? Be angry one moment, and then drop it and bond the next? Men!"_ She smiled. Booth returned the smile warmly.

"I bet I missed lunch, didn't I?" Booth said, almost whining.

"Well," Temperance said, "yes…and no." She and Jon stepped aside so Booth could see inside his room. There on the tray table sat take out bags from _'Beltway Burger'_.

Booth's eyes grew wide and his knees became slightly weak. He grabbed Temperance around her waist with his free arm. "Ohh…you guys….I love you!" Their eyes locked for a moment…and then he awkwardly turned away. Still holding Temperance he said, "I missed out on the pudding, but this is ten times better." The trio moved into the room.

Temperance said, "Will a chocolate milk shake make up for it?"

Booth lolled his head from side to side, "I suppose so…"

"You better buck up, boy," Jon said to Booth, "Or Temperance won't give you your dessert." Booth looked at Temperance

She extracted herself from his grasp and started fishing around in her bag. After a moment she triumphantly showed Booth two to-go cups of pudding and spoons. "We stopped at the cafeteria on the way in." Booth was speechless but he laughed.

"Listen," Jon said. After everyone was still for a moment, "I can actually hear my arteries hardening as we speak." He looked wide-eyed at the other two, "Let's eat, I'm starved."

* * *

Dr. Camarillo entered the room and stopped. Dr. Brennan and an FBI agent, by his looks, were seated, going through their Blackberries. Agent Booth was nowhere to be found. However, there were a great many 'Beltway Burger' wrappers on the tray table, along with bags on the floor. "Ah-hem," he coughed. Both Temperance and the agent looked up. She began picking up the empty wrappers and wadding them up into little balls, stuffing them into the bags.

"Oh…Good afternoon Dr. Camarillo," Temperance began.

"Disposing of the evidence, Dr. Brennan?" He returned.

She pointed at Jon accusingly. Jon stood up as well, "The nurses said it would be okay if we brought him some outside food," he said.

Dr. Camarillo placed the man. He was the gentleman he had met the other night with the beard. "They probably thought you meant ice cream or some other snack food." Dr Camarillo said. He waved at the wrappers, "Between him being on soft food for awhile, and the grease this stuff has in it, this will probably run right through him without even bothering to stop."

At that moment there was a pitiful moan from the room's bathroom. Jon pumped one thumb towards the door. "Yeah, we kind of found that out."

Dr. Camarillo started to chuckle and turned to leave, "Good…I'll be back in about 10 minutes." He stopped and leaned back in, "To be honest with you, that stuff is great comfort food," he said nodding to the bags, "but you have to take it in small doses." He left, chuckling on his way.

* * *

"So," Dr. Camarillo said, sitting at the foot of Booth's bed, "How are you feeling Mr. Booth?"

"Much better, thank you," Booth pinched out.

"Was it worth it?" the doctor continued.

"Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do…" Booth smiled and looked at two very guilty-looking friends. "Yeah, it was worth it."

"So, how do you feel about going home?" Dr. Camarillo asked.

Looks of surprise crossed all three faces. "Do you mean it? When?" Booth asked.

"Well, until this afternoon's adventure," he looked at Temperance and Jon, "I was going to suggest this evening."

Booth wore a triumphant look on his face. But it was short-lived, "Wait, you said 'was'?"

Dr Camarillo nodded his head, "If you have someone at home who can keep an eye on you," he added with emphasis, "without trying to jump the gun and feed you things your digestive tract can't handle…"

"Yes…of course…" Temperance started, only to be interrupted by Jon, "Just tell us what he can and can't…" who was interrupted by Booth, "No problem…whatever you say." The three looked from one to the other.

"All right…Now, the results of the MRI show no severing of the nerve pathways," Camarillo continued, Booth breathed a sigh of relief. "But that means there's some kind of compression going on, or there's a cut we just can't see. Physical Therapy may help relieve some of the compression. How much, we can't say." Booth looked at Jon and then at Temperance. His gaze fixed on her. Dr. Camarillo continued, "You may have lost some of your fine motor function in your hand." Booth closed his eyes. "We'll know more as your physical therapy progresses."

Booth nodded his head and opened his eyes, "Thank you, Doctor."

Dr. Camarillo nodded. "From what your friend has told me, he will be available to help you with some exercises that may help as well. He'll be with you for the initial evaluation at the therapist's?" Jon nodded. Dr. Camarillo looked towards Temperance, "And you'll be available to help as well?"

Temperance nodded, "Of course," she locked eyes with Booth, "…with whatever he needs."

"Good," Camarillo said, "A good support team may help to get Mr. Booth back close to where he was, if not all the way back." The three nodded. "Okay," Camarillo added, "I'll want to see you in after the weekend on Monday, to remove the sutures. The nurses will set up the return appointment. On Monday, you'll also see the physical therapist." He stood. "It may be a long road back. But if you put in the work…don't shirk your physical therapy…we should be able to get you back to living a normal life." He smiled and began to leave.

Booth, Jon and Temperance all thanked the Doctor as he left. Jon looked at Booth and then at Temperance, "So, who's going to stay with him and where's he going to stay?"

Booth started, "Well, I've only got the one bedroom. But I do have a couch."

Temperance looked to Booth and then to Jon, "I've got a guest room, but that means that Booth wouldn't really be home. And if I slept," Booth's gaze shot to her, "on his couch, well, _I_ wouldn't be home."

"And I'm sleeping on the boat, so that's not going to work," Jon said. He looked at Temperance, "How do you feel about sleeping on a couch?"

"Booth can move some of his things over to my apartment, and you could sleep at Booth's." Temperance said, "That way, everybody can sleep in a bed."

"But I wouldn't be _home_." Booth whined.

"What's wrong with my apartment? Are you saying it's not 'homey' enough for you?"

"From what I've seen of you," Jon said, speaking to Brennan, "It's probably very clean and well-organized…Booth may not feel entirely comfortable there."

"Well…" Temperance said, "Why don't _you_ sleep on his couch?"

Jon and Booth looked at each other…they shook their heads and simultaneously said, "We'd kill each other."

Temperance looked at them, dumfounded. "Honest," Jon said, "We tried it before and almost burned the place down."

Temperance's shoulders sagged in surrender, she sighed, "Okay…how about this?" She said, "I'll sleep at Booth's for a couple of nights, and then he'll sleep at my place a couple of nights. After that, we'll take it from there."

The three of them looked at each other. And finally agreed.

* * *

They decided that Jon would drive Temperance back to the Jeffersonian to pick up her car and she would drive back to the hospital to drive Booth home. At the moment, she was downstairs making a few phone calls.

"How are you two getting along?" Booth asked.

"Not bad," Jon said. "I don't think there have been any bumps in the road. At least none that she's let on about." Booth nodded his head. Jon hesitated, "I told her about Cynthia."

"Wow," Booth said, surprised, "I didn't think you would do that."

Jon shrugged. "She asked what happened to my eye."

Booth looked at Jon uncomfortably, and then moved his gaze downward, "Did you tell her about Catherine and the girls?"

Jon shook his head, "No," he said quietly. "That would have meant telling her about…you know." Booth nodded. Jon continued, "If she does ask, I'm going to tell her." Booth nodded again. "But to be honest, Seel. She should hear that part of it from you."

Booth's mouth worked, but all that would come out was, "How…?" Jon could see Booth's eyes beginning to glisten with wetness.

"Seel," Jon said, "It wasn't your fault. How many times do I have to tell you? There's nothing to ask forgiveness for." Booth cocked his head towards his injured shoulder. "If you have any hope for a future with her at all you have to tell her. She's been with you through all of this," Jon circled his head around the room, "Do you really think she'll desert you now? She's smart. She'll see it's unnecessary guilt, even if you don't."

Booth composed himself, and looked up, tears in his eyes still reflecting the light from the hallway. "After everything I've done, why are you still my friend?"

"Because while life throws crap on us from on high from time to time, it also gives us wonderful opportunities. We get to laugh, love and be content. We get to choose our jobs, hobbies, co-workers, friends, and wives. In our case, we also got to choose each other as brothers." Jon said.

"Do you ever regret your choices?"

Jon shook his head, "Not for a moment, Seel," he said, "Not for a moment."


	20. Across an Empty Parking Lot

Jon dropped Temperance off at the Jeffersonian, with an assurance that he would stop by the next day, Saturday, once Booth was settled in at home. He pulled out of the lot and steered the SUV towards the meeting at the bar. _"Oh joy…I get to meet another group of people I don't know. I bet they'll be a bunch of youngsters as well."_ He sighed and pulled over into a parking space. He pulled out his cell phone and input the number from memory.

After a couple of rings, a man's voice came on the line, "Odyssey Charters."

"Hello Jim," Jon said with a smile.

"Hey boss man!" Came the voice, sounding pleased. "How goes the weather up there?"

"Not bad….not bad," Jon answered. "How are things going there?"

"Been super. The weather has been fantastic. Both of us are booked solid for the next month!" A pause, "How's Booth doing?"

Jon smiled, "He's doing much better. He's getting out of the hospital tonight." He continued, I'll be stopping by tomorrow."

"What's wrong with tonight?"

"Well, I figured I'd give him a little alone time with someone else." Jon responded.

Jim's voiced raised in surprise, "What? You mean Booth finally found someone to get serious with?"

"I know," Jon added, happily. "Who knew he was capable? They've still got some things to work out, but, I tell you, man; she will surely keep him on his toes. If she can demolish that wall of his, that is."

"Now we've just got to find one for you, man." Jim laughed.

"Don't hold your breath," Jon said sarcastically and then laughed. Laughter came from the other end of the connection. Jon sobered. "Hey, Jim…has anybody been nosing around…asking about me?"

Jim became just as serious, "Haven't seen or heard of anybody. You been 'winning friends and influencing people' again?"

"So far, just one guy," Jon explained, "real piece of work. Name's Tim Sullivan…also goes by 'Sully.' Ever heard of him? Used to work out of the Fort Myers Regional Office. I think he retired about a year and a half ago."

"Doesn't ring a bell." Jim said, "Bad guy?"

"I'm not sure…he might just be a tough guy 'wannabe' you know? Supposedly he's been sailing around the Caribbean since he retired. But he's also been making trips up to DC a couple times a month as well."

"You thinking drugs?"

Jon explained, "I don't know. He's been trying to insinuate himself back into Booth's," he stopped, not knowing what to call Temperance. He continued, "Into his lady's life. Tried to use her to get back on with the Bureau in a limited status."

"Want us to do a little checking around?" Jim asked.

"Yeah," Jon answered. "But make sure you guys are careful. We don't know what we're getting into."

"And I'll make sure Bob keeps his eyes and ears open to see if anybody's checking you out as well." Jim added. "When do you think you'll be coming back?"

"Not sure," Jon said, "Trying to rehab Booth will probably take at least a couple of months." He continued, "You never know, if he can't come back I may be buying another boat."

"Even if he does get back healthy, get him down her for a vacation sometime. It sure would be good to see him." Jim said, "And have him bring his lady-friend along too!"

Jon laughed, "That's what I like about you, Jim. You're an optimist." Jon decided to wrap up the call. "If you guys find anything out, call the boat number."

"Will do." Jim answered.

"Tell Bob I'll call him tomorrow, and that I'm sending my love to him, Liz and the kids." Jon continued, "And you tell Marcy and the kids I'm sending my love."

"Will do," Jim said, "You be careful, boss."

"Talk to you later," and Jon hung up the phone. He put his cell phone on vibrate and tucked it back into his jacket pocket. Jon edged the car out into traffic.

* * *

He pulled into the parking lot of the Alibi Lounge. Looking at all the black SUVs he thought, _"Jeez…how can you tell it's a cop hang out?"_ He thought. He called in to Dispatch to let them know he was out of service, popped the rear door and got out. Walking to the rear of the SUV he watched two women walking into the club. They were both about 5'6' One was older, about 40 he guessed. Blonde with a page boy haircut. She was of average build but her gait suggested she was in shape. The other was younger, perhaps 30. She was slim, with long brown hair. But she also had a white streak in her hair going from above her left eye all the way back. The two women both wore stylish but conservative clothing. _"Office workers,"_ Jon thought, _"Out to have a couple o drinks and break a few boys' hearts before going home to hubby."_ He shook his head, _"Christ, I'm getting cynical in my old age."_ After opening the locked storage case in the locked storage area of the SUV, he removed his weapons from their holsters. He looked up to see the two women watching him as they walked. He absently hit the clip release on both weapons and the clips tumbled into the back of the SUV. His eyes locked momentarily with the blonde's. She smiled and whispered something to her companion. They laughed, but it was short-lived as the blonde, not watching where she was going, cracked the right side of her head on a "No Parking" sign. Jon involuntarily pursed his lips. Still watching her, he pulled the slides back and ejected the shells into the storage case. Her complexion turned a bright red from her embarrassment. _"No blood at least,"_ Jon thought. He turned back to storing his weapons properly. As he did so, he missed the two women scrambling inside the club, mortified.

* * *

"Oh God," Christine muttered, embarrassed. "The first time I've been out in over two months, I see an interesting guy, and I crack my head on a sign." She kept feeling her head where the sign hit her and then checking her fingers, looking for blood. "He must think I'm a real dolt."

Charlie said, "Don't worry about it." He continued, "So you're a little clumsy…" Christine took a piece of ice from her drink and threw it at Charlie.

"Maybe he didn't see it," Tammi, the brunette with the white streak said sympathetically.

Christine looked at her incredulously, "Are you kidding me? He pursed his lips like he was the one who got beaned." She closed her eyes and sat with her head propped in her hands. "What an idiot."

Tammi said, "Well, maybe that means he's empathetic. And understands what you're going through."

Charlie laughed, "That's right…He _'feels your pain'_." Christine opened her eyes and shot Charlie an ugly look. Charlie tried to look innocent, but somehow was unable to.

"Maybe the guy was a jerk," another woman at the table offered. The entire table stopped and looked at her. She looked from one to another, "Hey…that's how I rationalized blowing my chances with guys."

"Really?" Charlie asked.

Realizing what she had said, she patted Charlie's thigh and said, "Of course that was before you."

Charlie nodded his head in mock agreement, "Oh, of course." After seeing her worried expression, he laughed and leaned in. Once realizing she was being put on, she gave Charlie a smack on his chest with an open hand and then leaned in and kissed him.

"Don't start with that stuff," Christine admonished, "some of us don't want to see or hear it." Charlie and Julie gave her a _'Who us?'_ look.

Charlie noticed Jon come through the door. He waved to get his attention. Jon waved and took in the table's occupants. He smiled inwardly. Most of the people sitting at the table were around Charlie's age, 30. Sitting next to Charlie, to his right, closer than just a friend would sit, was an average-sized woman with short, curly brown hair. To her right was a thin male, with dirty blond hair, wearing glasses. He, like Charlie, wore a shirt and tie, but he didn't strike Jon as an agent. Following on his right was the younger, brown-haired woman Jon had seen outside. Sure enough, when she turned to see who Charlie was waving at, Jon could see the white streak. And next to her was the blond woman. An empty chair stood between the brunette and blonde. Jon sized up that there were two couples and the blonde was by herself. The entire table now turned to see the new guy. Jon could see the blonde's expression crumble. She turned back around so he couldn't see her.

Christine looked to Charlie,"That's him? _That's_ the guy we're here to meet?"

Charlie, surprised, asked Christine, "That was the guy you were scoping out?" Christine, almost in tears, nodded, her head in her hands.

Jon waved, and motioned that he would go to the bar and get a drink and then be right back. He started edging his way to the bar.

Julie said to Christine, "I can see what you like."

"Can this get any worse?" Christine said to no one in particular.

"Just act like nothing happened," Tammi offered.

"Yeah….like that will work." Christine said miserably.

* * *

Jon ordered his usual, club soda with a twist of lemon. He edged his way back to the table as unobtrusively as he could. He had made it all the way around so that he approached the table from behind the blonde. Charlie and Julie watched his approach, but Jon put his index finger of the hand carrying his drink to his lips. As requested they remained silent.

He leaned down and said into the blonde's ear, "Hi, is this seat taken?" Christine thought it was another young male hoping to put another notch on their bed post by scoring with the new MILF. She was going to wave off the boy, but as she turned to suggest he take his moves elsewhere, she saw Jon smiling warmly. Her expression changed from one of indulgence to shock to horror. Jon, upon seeing the change never wavered, "Surely I'm not that repulsive, am I?" He set his drink on the table.

She started, "No…please do…have a seat," and moving her hands almost wildly, she tried to move the chair back so Jon could sit, while her other hand promptly knocked over her drink. Her hands moved to begin sopping up the spilled drink with napkins. Charlie and the woman sitting next to him moved to help. The woman finally said, "Oh screw it! I'm just going to go home."

She started to stand, but Jon's hand on her left shoulder directed her attention to him. His lake blue eyes looked into her pale green ones. He stepped closer to her, his chest almost touching her left shoulder. "Please stay," he said softly as his right hand placed the clean bar towel packed with ice upon the side of her head. Her hand flew up and covered his as he gently pressed the ice pack onto the rising bump on her head. "It's not good for someone who has suffered a head wound to be alone. They need to be watched to make sure they are okay."

She relaxed and sat back down. Jon sat down in the empty chair. His voice had a strangely warming effect upon her. "You would want to watch a klutz like me?" She said ironically.

"For as long as you let me." The rest of the table said in unison, "Aww…" and drummed their approval on the table. Christine could have cared less. Suddenly the episode with the sign didn't seem quite so important. She smiled warmly. Jon offered his glass to her. "Would you like some of my club soda?"


	21. Daddy's Home

Temperance pulled the car into her assigned parking spot. She turned to Booth, sitting in the passenger seat, "Are you sure you don't mind stopping here?"

"Not at all," he said, reaching across his body for the door latch. "You need to pick up some things for when you stay at my place. Now is just as good a time as any." With a _'Click'_ the door swung open. He started edging his way off the seat.

Temperance smiled, "Are you sure you're okay with having some of my stuff at your place?" Booth turned back to her with a questioning look. "Well, when Angela had a lot of her things at Hodgins' it got weird between them. And it took advice from Gordon Gordon to set things right."

Booth returned to his task of getting out of the car, "Hodgins and Angela were dating at the time…Doesn't apply here." Temperance's smile faded a bit. "Don't worry about it," he continued.

She turned off the engine and got out. Booth was still trying to situate the arm sling when she appeared on his side of the car. She leaned down and slid her arm around his waist. "Here, put your free arm around my shoulder," she suggested. Booth did as instructed. She placed a foot on the outside of each of his to set a base for her to distribute his weight. "Now, stand." As he did so, Temperance pulled up as much of his weight as she could. _'Lift with your legs'_ she thought. Once Booth was on his feet they were standing in as close an embrace as Booth could remember. He could feel her hair brushing his cheek. The aroma of her skin filled his nostrils. He felt her arms around his waist and her thighs on the outside of his. Their abdomens pressed together. Was the dizziness from the simple act of standing, or the touch of her body against his? Like so many times lately, he found he didn't care. "Are you okay?" Temperance asked, feeling his unsteadiness.

He gulped and stepped back a bit, "Yeah…I'm okay."

"You could have stayed in the car," she continued, "I wouldn't have been long."

"I needed to get up and moving around." Temperance looked into his eyes, _"Get hold of yourself,"_ he thought. She nodded and stepped back warily…making sure he had his balance.

Temperance closed the car door and then encircled her arm around Booth's free arm. The two began moving towards the walkway to her apartment building.

* * *

As Booth scanned through the after discharge care paperwork, Temperance began putting basic necessities into an overnight bag. Clean undergarments, toiletries, toothbrush in a travel tube, _"I should get one of these for Booth,"_ she thought. _"I won't need work clothes,"_ her internal narrative continued. _"I'll bring him back here Sunday night."_ She packed some nightclothes and a robe. Temperance looked at his shirt hanging on her closet door. She moved to the shirt. Making sure Booth wasn't near her bedroom door, she leaned in and drank in his aroma. When she lifted him out of the car she was sure he could feel her heart racing. Her legs tingled at the rememberance of his legs between hers. Temperance opened her eyes and straighted out the shirt on the hanger. She had safety-pinned his socks together and they hung from the wire as well. She thought about moving them out of sight, but decided against it_. "We're not going to be here long enough to worry about it."_ She concluded, and moved back out to the living room, overnight bag in hand.

Booth was standing by her bookshelves, fingering something. As she got closer, she realized what had caught his attention. Moving forward, she wrapped her arm around his waist. Her hand held the side of his waist. He jumped, "Sorry," she laughed.

He turned to her, "I'm normally more on the ball than that." He smiled, "I guess I just felt I was in a place I could be comfortable and let down my guard."

"You are," she softly said.

He turned back to the figurines he had been studying. "You put them on display?"

She nodded, "Mmmm…in case you haven't figured it out yet, I put all my favorite pieces of art on display."

"Somehow," Booth mused, "I don't' think a plastic pig figurine and a figurine from a children's cartoon would be classified as 'art'."

"It doesn't matter," Temperance said, "they're my favorites."

* * *

Charlie began the introductions around the table, "This," he said, patting the woman's thigh to his right, "is Julie. She works in Latent Prints." Jon extended his hand as he had done with Cam and Angela. Charlie continued, indicating the man with the glasses, "This is Tom, from Research…that includes Personnel Records as well." Jon shook his hand. Moving everyone's attention to Tom's right, "That's Tammi, she's our computer whiz. She's in IT." Again, Jon held Tammi's hand as before with Julie. Turning towards the blonde, "You've kind of already met our 'den mother' so to speak." Christine shot Charlie a dirty look. At a poke in the ribs from Julie, Charlie added, "Christine. She's our Audio specialist." Jon repeated his touch, but with more tenderness and warmth. Christine smiled. Charlie continued, "And of course, you know who I am…"

"Chaz," Jon interrupted. Charlie stopped, looking confused. "I've decided I'll call you _'Chaz'_…"Jon paused, "If that's okay, that is."

Charlie thought about it…he looked at Julie, who gave an appraising, and then an approving look, "Okay," he smiled. He then introduced Jon to the group, "This is Agent Jon Smith. He's the guy I told you all about."

Jon smiled at the group, "Pleased to meet you all. I'm not big on formality; so is there anything each of you would prefer to be called?"

Julie looked at Chaz and then at Jon, "Jules is what he" nodding at Chaz, "calls me. You might as well follow suit."

Tammi smiled, "I've always wanted to be called, 'Tams.'"

"Then Tams it is," Jon said, smiling. He turned to Tom.

"Tom is just fine," he said, shaking his head.

Jon turned to Christine, "How about you? While Christine is a beautiful name, and it suits you, anything I can call you that would be less formal?"

"I…I don't know, "she said embarrassed.

"Aw…come on…" Chaz prompted. Followed by the rest of the table, including Jon, "Tell us…You know you want to…"

She smiled; Jon could see her traveling back in time in her mind, "Ever since I was a little girl, I've always wanted to be called 'Cricket'." The table went quiet….evaluating the name. She looked at Jon. He was lost in his own happy memories of childhood.

Jules asked, "Why Cricket?"

Christine answered, "Well, I can make a chirp like a cricket."

Jon sat back, smiling, "Oh…we've got to hear this!" He said, shaking his head and clapping his hands. The rest of the table joined in.

After many protestations, finally, she adjusted her lips into an almost grimace and the sound of a high-pitched chirping cricket rose from her mouth. The table exploded in applause and laughter. "Just goes to show you how my mind works," Jon said, "When she said 'Cricket' my mind went to something totally different."

"Really?" Cricket asked, more intently than Jon expected. "And just where _did_ your mind go?"

Jon began, "When I was a kid, there was this television show called…"

"Hawaiian Eye," Cricket finished, smiling.

Jon, shocked, continued, "And on the show there was a character called…"

"Cricket Blake," Cricket finished for him. She continued, "She was played by…"

"Connie Stevens," this time it was Jon's turn to finish a sentence. He looked at her admiringly.

She looked at him innocently, "What? I used to watch re-runs with my father." Jon smiled and nodded. "I had such a crush on Robert Conrad," she continued.

Jon threw up his hands in mock frustration, "There it is again! Story of my life! Losing out to a taller guy!" The table laughed. "Although, for a taller guy, he was pretty short. You know he was only about 5' 8"."

Cricket offered him condolences, "That's okay. You look tall enough for your feet to hit the ground."

Jules asked, "So what do we call you?"

"Anything but Jonny or Smitty," Jon laughed.

I got it," Tams looked at him and sweetly offered, "Dad."

Jon's jaw dropped. He was utterly flabbergasted.

Jules also felt like helping, "How about Grandpa?"

Jon was struck speechless. Fingers were being pointed his way and laughing accusations were flying, "You said, 'anything'." He finally gave up, and, nodding his head, agreed to being called 'Dad' or 'Grandpa.' _"Booth can't find out,"_ he thought. _"I'll never hear the end of it…I'll be dead meat."_ He looked over at Cricket; she had a _'You asked for it'_ look on her face.

* * *

Brennan and Booth looked into each other's eyes. The world seemed to have stopped. Booth started to speak, "There's some things I need to tell…" He was interrupted by Brennan's cell phone. She made no move to check it. It repeated its ring. "You should probably get that….it might be important," Booth said.

Disappointed, Temperance moved to her countertop and picked up the phone. It was Cam. "Hi Cam," she said, her eyes never moving from Booth. "Uh huh….okay…what's the address? Arlington National Cemetery?" She wrote the directions down. "Okay, are you going to call Jon?" A pause, "All right, I'll see you there."

Temperance moved towards Booth, she breathed, "I have to go."

He nodded, "I know."

"I can swing by and drop you off at your place on the way," she said.

"No," Booth said, "I can wait here until you get back." Then he quickly added, "If that's all right, that is."

She smiled, "Of course it is. I'll try to get back as soon as possible."

"No," Booth said. Temperance was taken aback. He continued, "Do your job the way you should. We owe it to whoever it is. I'll be here when you get back."

She smiled reassuringly through closed lips. Temperance nodded her head. She pointed to her refrigerator, "If you get hungry…"

"I'll order in," he smiled.

At the front door, she nodded, "I'll be back soon."

Booth smiled, "Have a nice day at work, dear."

Feeling better, she left.

* * *

Jon was standing by the CD jukebox hanging on the wall by the bar. Holding his club soda in his left hand, his right index finger was navigating through the available CDs and songs. Cricket walked up and entwined her arm with his, "Music buff, Jon?"

He looked at her, smiling "You're not going to call me 'Dad'?"

She took a deep breath, looking at the table, "They're pretty snarky, aren't they? Where did Chaz and Jules go?" Jon looked at the table and then shook his head.

"They're young. If it helps make a connection between the years, I can live with it," Jon explained. "Besides," he continued, smiling "I _am_ old enough and they're young enough for me to actually be their Dad." After a pause, "You didn't answer my question."

"I don't want to look at you like you're my Dad."

"How do you want to look at me?"

She took a deep breath through her nose and squeezed his arm tighter. She turned to the jukebox. "Find anything good?"

Jon nodded. "You can tell a lot about a place by the kind of music on the jukebox. This place has a pretty good mixture."

"What does that tell you?"

"That at different times of the day, there's a different crowd. See…this bunch of popular, relatively recent songs means that at some time there's a younger crowd in here. Classic rock / pop means it's a bit older crowd, still working. And then for the older crowd, there's the more traditional….How old do you think I am?" He asked, turning towards her.

Cricket looked at him appraisingly, "I'd say about 50."

Jon cocked his head back and forth, "Pretty close. I'm 55." Cricket looked impressed. "I look younger when I don't have a beard or moustache."

"And how old do you think I am?" she asked.

"_That's a minefield, buddy."_ He thought. _"Better not go too overboard."_ Jon looked at her, "I'd say about 40."

Cricket smiled and gave his arm a tug, "Flatterer! But I like my man to be honest….try again."

How long had it been since he had been in such close proximity with an attractive, intelligent, if somewhat clumsy woman? _"Who seems to genuinely be interested in me?"_ He was acutely aware of his triceps pressed into her breast. "Okay," he surrendered, "43."

She leaned in closer and whispered in his ear, "I'm 49." Jon leaned back and looked at her. She nodded. "I'm tired of all the boys wanting to have a go with the older woman, and the old men wanting to relive their youth. I want someone I can actually talk to, laugh with and share the joys and tribulations life has to offer." Jon's jaw dropped. "Am I scaring you? I know we've only just met a couple of hours ago, but even before the 'No Parking' sign affair, I thought we had made a connection. Was I wrong?"

Jon smiled, "Not at all. I just have to warn you," looking in her eyes, "I don't put out on the first date."

"What a coincidence," she smiled, "Neither do I."

At that moment, Jon's phone began buzzing. "Aaarrrgh!" he gurgled. "I have to take this."

"I know…" you work for the F…B…I" she said.

It was Cam. A body had been found on Memorial Drive at Arlington National Cemetery. The body has been badly burned. Cam had already contacted Dr Brennan and will meet them at the site.

Jon hung up. He started to shake his head and make his apologies when Cricket took his phone and started pushing buttons. When she was finished, she gave the phone back to him. "Call me when you get done…I'll be up."

He smiled and made his way to the door.


	22. Back to Work

Jon edged the SUV through the maze created on Memorial Drive by the local authorities' cars, FBI Forensics vans and trucks and, he noticed, Jeffersonian Institute vans. He also noticed a number of personal cars as well. Not to mention the television stations had sent out their "Live" "On-the-Scene" "Breaking News" trucks. Thankfully, they were kept far enough back that there was no problem keeping the forensics people out of the limelight. If that was there wish, that is. _"Somebody's always leaking something,"_ Jon thought. As if being on television was their main claim to justifying their lives.

He stopped the SUV; got out and began walking to the crime scene. He could see the flash of the strobes as technicians went on their way documenting the area. Further off in the distance to the right, he saw another area lighted by the crime scene technicians. _"Tire tracks,"_ he surmised. Further off, almost equidistant from the tire tracks and the body was another area lighted by fluorescents. He saw what looked like a wadding of clothing. As he got closer to the body, he could see Temperance, Cam and Zack inspecting the charred remains. The fluorescents lighting the scene gave everything a surreal look.

Cam looked up and smiled, "Hello Agent Smith. Sorry to interrupt your night. Did you at least get her phone number?"

Jon looked shocked, "What…" he began and then he saw the woman in FBI lab tech gear pass by. Her curly, brown, hair gave Jon the clue he needed. She saw him, waved and said, a little too loudly for Jon's comfort, "Hi Dad! Where've you been?" Temperance, Cam and Zack stopped their inspection and looked at Jon expectantly…smiling. Jon nodded his head and an expression between a grimace and apprehension worked its way onto his face. "Ohhhkay…" he nodded to Jules, "It's going to be that way, is it?" He opened the left side of his jacket, exposing his gun. "You see this? You tell Chaz and the others I'll be looking for them." Jules softly giggled and began putting her gear away.

Jon looked down at the remains. The three were still looking at him, seemingly moments away from hysterics. He opened both sides of his jacket. "I've got thirty-six rounds just in these two. I've also got extra clips. Seel can hear everything but the 'Dad' part." Cam and Temperance shook their heads and laughed softly; they raised their hands in mock surrender.

"Dad?" Zack asked.

Jon turned to Zack, "Don't you start..."

"I'm just wondering where the appellation came from," he said.

Seeing no malice in Zack's tone or eyes, Jon sighed, "When I was introduced to their group, they asked what they should call me…I said anything as long as it wasn't 'Jonny' or 'Smitty'."

Temperance said, "And they came up with Dad," she shook her head "…That's good."

Jon said, "I'm serious…you can't tell Seel." Temperance looked at him questioningly, "I'd be dead meat if he ever found out. I'd never hear the end of it."

None of the three said a word. Jon, exasperated said, "Okay, what do you got?" indicating the remains. He pulled out a pen and a stack of note cards.

"Male," Temperance began, "Older…we can narrow that down once we get back to the lab; multiple fractures through his rib cage, extremities as well as the skull."

Jon noted, pointing to an area about 50 yards away lit up by fluorescents, "Over there it looks like there are tire marks from a high velocity turn…could the fractures have come from a fall from a moving vehicle?

"No," Zack said, "These injuries are consistent with being struck."

Jon followed up, "With what? A pipe…a bat…hands and feet?"

"We'll need to do a more thorough examination back at the lab," Zack said.

Temperance added, "Massive amount of burns all over his body."

"And I'm sure we can all smell the accelerant," Jon added. "Was he set on fire before or after he died?"

Cam answered, "No way to tell at this point. We'll need to get him back to the lab."

Jon asked, "Any evidence he was burned here?"

Temperance said, "There's no carbon discoloration on the pavement other than where our victim came in contact with it."

"So, he's beaten, burned and dumped here by the entrance to a national cemetery. Might be a statement killing." Jon surmised.

"But if someone were trying to make a statement," Zack added, "wouldn't they have left something other than just the body?"

"Good point, Zack," Jon said, "But maybe in the Perps' minds a dead body at a national cemetery is a self-evident statement. Even more so, if he were a former serviceman." He looked at Temperance, "We'll need the ID to tell us that."

Temperance nodded, "The skull isn't too badly damaged. Angela should be able to give us a reconstruction." Jon returned the nod.

Jon added, "Would Jack be able to pull any trace evidence from the tire marks?"

"Like what?" Cam asked.

"Where the car came from…soil particulates to tell us what kind of roads it traveled." Jon said. The three looked at him uncertainly. Jon continued, "If a couple of buddies get together and beat someone, burn him and then dump him near a national park, they'll do the majority of the work in a secluded place. Usually out in the country."

Temperance said, "Probably not the tire marks, but from what's left of his clothing," she said. Pointing to the second crime scene area, "And it looks like there's the remnants of a blanket he was wrapped in. Hodgins might be able to pull something from it."

"How did you come to the conclusion more than one person did this?" Zack asked.

Jon said, "It's extremely difficult for one person to push a dead body out of a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed."

Cam and Temperance looked at each other. Both of them came to the same conclusion; Jon hadn't lost much, if any, of his investigative skills.

* * *

Booth was bored.

He had forgotten that Temperance didn't have a television set when he suggested he stay here while she went to the crime scene. _"What was I thinking with that one?"_ he thought. He had already gone through her books to see if there was _something...anything_ he might find interesting. "Hard Evidence: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology," "Human Osteology," _'What the hell?'_ "Bioarchaeology: Interpreting Behavior from the Human Skeleton" He sighed, more heavily than he would have thought himself capable.

He had also already gone through her music collection. Not much had changed since the last time he and Temperance had been here together looking for something to do. Booth reminded himself not to tempt fate. That had ended with an explosion and him in the hospital. He also reminded himself that he had handed her protection off to Kenton. Kenton...the one who turned out to be the one trying to kill her. Booth's mood was beginning to deteriorate.

His arm felt better out of the sling. He had read in the after discharge care instructions that he didn't have to wear it all the time. He could start to move around without it more and more, needing to use it primarily when he slept. _"I guess to avoid flailing my arm around in my sleep."_ He thought. When he tried to move the arm at the shoulder, pain shot through the right side of his chest and throughout his shoulder. _"Muscle damage…scar tissue."_ He tried to see how far his range of motion was impinged, and was quickly disappointed. He could barely move his arm more than a couple of inches. The muscles just would not obey his commands. He could bring his lower arm and hand perpendicular to the floor, so he knew his biceps and triceps weren't affected. He felt just a slight twinge and tugging sensation in his shoulder. He flexed the fingers on his right hand and then touched his index finger to his thumb. _"Still numb…"_ he thought. He made a fist and rotated his lower arm. He seemed to still have the majority of his strength in his hand. _"My shoulder and chest muscles are the ones that seem to be the most affected."_ He thought. _"Unless that numbness goes away, I'm not going to be able to shoot a gun with any consistency."_

He looked around for something he could use to test his hand's fine motor functions. Not finding anything, he started opening the kitchen drawers. After two drawers without finding anything useful, he opened what could only be considered her 'junk drawer.' Sliding things around, he smiled when he found a clear plastic case containing various sized bolts and nuts. He moved to her table and opened the case with his left hand. He reached in and took out about ten screws. He visually estimated their size and withdrew a few nuts. Booth sat down and eased his right arm to rest on the table. He placed one of the nuts in his right hand. With the bolt in his left hand, he tried to thread the nut onto the bolt. It took a couple of tries; he dropped the nut a couple of times. He found he had to use his complete concentration before he could seat the nut properly in the threads of the bolt. He began rotating the nut, moving the nut the length of the bolt. Then he rotated the nut in the opposite direction, until he reached the end of the bolt. The nut clattered on the table. Because he couldn't feel the nut between his fingers, he had to watch his hands and focus his attention on the screwing and unscrewing. He picked the nut back back up with his right hand, and began the process…again…and again. After twenty minutes, his entire right hand was tingly and numb. _"That's enough for now,"_ he thought and returned all but two of the bolts and nuts to the case and returned the case to the drawer.

He had worked up a sweat. Which was ironic, he thought, because he hadn't actually performed any vigorous work. His efforts had taken their toll on him nonetheless. He moved towards her bathroom, his right arm hanging limply from his shoulder. Once there, he found a medium-sized towel and wetted it under some running water. He wiped his face and neck. The towel felt cool against his skin.

He left the bathroom, his eye, catching sight of Temperance's bedroom. He moved to stand in the doorway. His hand found the switch and turned on the light. The room was Spartan, austere. There was no artwork on the walls; it almost looked like a cell. _"She must view it as a room only for sleeping…and maybe once in a while…"_ he shook his head, cutting off the thought. Something hanging on the door across the room speared his attention. He tiptoed over to the door, not knowing exactly why. He was alone in the apartment. He draped the moist towel over his left shoulder and reached out. _"What's a man's shirt doing here?"_ He thought. Booth stroked his hand over the fabric and raised one of the cuffs up. _"No buttons…"_ then it hit him, _"This is __my__ shirt."_ He then saw a pair of white socks, held together by a safety pin, hanging from the wire. They also looked familiar. He grasped the hanger and moved the shirt and socks closer. He could smell a familiar aroma. He smiled and hung it back up.

Booth turned and moved towards the door. He flicked the switch, and the light disappeared. He was tired. He moved to the living room and stretched out on her couch. Within moments he was asleep, imaginings of Temperance wearing his shirt and socks moving through his dreams.


	23. Saturday Morning

Temperance stepped into her darkened apartment. The light from the hallway spilled into her living room allowing her a dimmed view of her surroundings. She saw Booth lying on her couch, one of her towels draped across his chest. She saw, with some consternation, that he had removed the sling meant to cradle his arm_. "How did he ever make it to 35 when he doesn't take care of himself properly?"_

Not wanting to wake him, she quietly closed the door. Momentarily blinded by the darkened room, she waited until her eyes adjusted to the streetlight illuminated room. She removed her shoes and quietly padded towards her bedroom. Booth's voice startled her, "What time is it?"

"Shortly after two," she whispered, "Do you want to move into the guest room? It might be more comfortable?"

She heard him move, "No…this is okay," he mumbled.

"Are you warm enough? Do you want a blanket?" she asked. _"And why am I whispering?"_ She thought, _"We're both awake."_

She could hear the lightness in his voice as he smiled and said, "I'm okay, Bones…go to bed. We'll talk in the morning."

"Okay," she whispered.

She heard him settling into the cushions, "Sweet dreams," he said, drifting off into slumber. She smiled, "Dream well," she whispered.

Her eyes had adjusted completely now. She turned and walked the hallway more confidently towards her bedroom. Once inside, she flicked the switch and had to momentarily shield her eyes as the white light bathed the room in illumination. Truth be told, it wasn't that bright, but the suddenness of the change from darkness to light made her blink involuntarily.

She set her bag and jacket down by the door, and moved to her dresser to begin removing her jewelry and accessories. Her eyes fixed on Booth's shirt. "Is there something different about it? She moved over to the closet door and looked at it. It wasn't sitting on the hanger correctly. One side was lower than the other. She closed her eyes, _"Ohhhh….he saw it. And then moved it when he was checking it out."_ Her heart started beating faster. _"How am I going to explain this?"_ She was tired, and her mind felt fuzzy. _"I need to sleep,"_ she thought. _"I'll worry about it in the morning."_ Temperance moved to the door, shut off the light and then stretched out on the bed. Lying on her side, she took one of the pillows and cradled it in her arms…dreaming it was the figure which lay only a few short steps down the hall.

* * *

She woke.

It was still quiet in the apartment. _"Booth must still be asleep,"_ she thought. _"He must have been exhausted last night…It may take him awhile to get his stamina back."_ She sat up and looked at the clock. The red digital readout shone, _'10:23 AM'_ She realized she was still clutching one of her pillows, _"What's this all about? I normally don't do this when I sleep."_

Temperance set the pillow aside and stood up. After doing a few stretches, she turned and looked at herself in the dresser mirror. She ran her fingers through her hair a couple of times and gently rubbed her face and eyes. _"There,"_ she thought, _"At least now I don't have that 'just got laid' look."_ She corrected herself, _"Just woke up look."_ She turned and moved to her bedroom door.

Temperance moved down the hallway and called his name, "Booth? Time to get up," she debated whether to use a term of affection at the end of her statement, and finally decided not to. "Come on, sleepyhead," she said more loudly when he didn't respond. "Got any plans…" she stopped, frozen at the juncture of the hallway and living room. Booth wasn't there. The towel was neatly folded and rested on the arm of the couch, but Booth was nowhere to be seen. She looked around, Booth's hospital paperwork was still resting on the table…but he wasn't here. "BOOTH," she shouted, over and over again as she moved from room to room. No answer.

"_Maybe he went to the car to get his overnight bag,"_ she thought. She looked on the counter, where she normally kept her keys, and they were missing. She quickly put on her socks and shoes. Opening a dresser drawer, she withdrew her spare set of house and car keys. Temperance moved purposely towards her front door, paused, and went back and looked at her phone. No messages. She opened the front door.

And there he stood. A carryout tray with two cups of coffee and a bag from a local coffee shop was balanced between the hand poking out of the sling and his left hand, holding also her set of keys. He jumped and dropped the keys when the door opened almost dropping the tray as well. "Jeesh…Bones," he said surprised. "You almost scared me to death!"

"I almost…" she started, angrily. "You had me worried!" She continued, "Why didn't you tell me you were going someplace?"

Booth answered, almost childlike, "You were asleep….I didn't want to wake you." He looked at the tray in his hands and the keys on the floor, trying to figure out how to get the keys without spilling breakfast.

Temperance leaned down and picked up the keys, "Don't ever do that again." She said, slapping his good arm as she stood back up. "Where did you go?"

Booth nodded towards the cardboard tray with the food, "I didn't want to try to make something, so I thought I would go and get something from the coffee shop around the corner."

Temperance's anger was quickly dying. "Well, you should have told me…" She took the tray from Booth and ushered him into the apartment.

"And spoil the surprise?" Booth asked. The door clicked shut behind him.

That was it. The anger was gone. She put the tray on the table, and said, "I'm sorry…I was just worried when I didn't see you here." She thought, _"How did this get turned around where I'm apologizing?"_ She continued, "Somebody has to keep you under some kind of observation. If you go wandering off, how are we going to be able to help you if something happens?"

Booth considered, and then nodded, "I'm sorry too, Bones." He said, "Until the Doc gives me the go ahead to be on my own, I'll let you know where I am." He paused a moment, then said, "If I'm supposed to be under constant observation, then how come you left last night?"

Temperance, who had been looking at him, started poking around in the bag. "So, what did you get?"

* * *

They sat at the table, having breakfast. Booth's right arm rested on the table. He had to show Temperance in the after discharge paperwork that he didn't have to wear the sling all the time before she would allow it. Even then, she had chastised him for not sleeping with it the night before.

"How do you feel? How's your arm?" Temperance asked.

"My arm feels okay," Booth answered. "My hand goes from numbness, to tingly to pain." Temperance nodded. Booth continued, "And my fine motor functions in the hand are pretty degraded."

"How do you know that?"

"Last night, I tried some exercises…twisting a nut and bolt together and then undoing it." Booth flexed his right hand. "It took a lot of concentration to do it."

Temperance said, "But you did it, right? That's something."

He nodded, "True…there's no paralysis. Oh by the way, I stole a couple of nuts and bolts from your junk drawer." He smiled at her.

She smiled back, "That's okay…you bought breakfast," she raised her cup of coffee, "we're even."

Booth's smile became broader, "You don't go into a hardware store much, do you?"

"No…why?"

He shook his head, "No reason…" Booth continued, "My chest and shoulder muscles are weak. And because of the trauma, the range of motion has been reduced."

"Once you start Physical Therapy we can get you stretched out. That should come back to you," Temperance said.

Booth nodded his head in agreement, smiling at her reference to _'we'_. Booth took a drink of coffee. "So, anything happen last night that's interesting?"

Temperance pulled apart a doughnut and popped a small piece in her mouth. "The remains were of a man, probably in his 60s or 70s…he was beaten and burned and dumped out of a car on Memorial Drive, leading into Arlington National." She could see Booth's mind working. "Jon thinks he may have been a serviceman and dumping the body there was a statement."

Booth nodded, "Makes sense. How are you two getting along?"

Temperance was surprised at the question, "We've only just started working together. But I haven't seen anything that I can't live with until you get back."

"If I get back," Booth corrected.

"_WHEN_ you get back," Temperance corrected firmly. Booth nodded and plopped a doughnut piece in his mouth. Temperance smiled and said, "I think Jon's become interested in a woman."

Booth's expression softened…he smiled, "That's great…how…" he asked.

"One of the Latents techs from the FBI and Charlie Burns were talking at the crime scene and I overheard them." Booth looked at her quizzically. "Evidently she works at the Bureau in the Audio analysis area and from what I heard; Jon and this 'Cricket' seem pretty taken with each other."

"Why would Charlie and a tech from Latents be talking about that?"

"Evidently she and Charlie are an item too. Is there something in the water over there at the Bureau?" Temperance said playfully. _"And can I get some of it too?"_ she thought. She added, "Oh, and she and Jon both refer to Charlie as _'Chaz'_. How come you don't?"

"Huh? I…Charlie's seeing a girl?" Booth was still trying to catch up, _'Charlie is Chaz, he's seeing a woman, Jon is smitten with a woman at the Bureau, and her name is Cricket?_' Booth shook his head. He looked at Temperance…she looked at him; he shrugged his shoulders, wincing a bit, and then took a drink of coffee.

Temperance smiled and leaned in conspiratorially, "Do you know what they call Jon?" Booth leaned in and looked at her. "Now don't give him grief about it, okay?" Booth nodded, expectantly. "Dad," her smile grew broader.

That did it for Booth, he laughed, "Dad?" Temperance nodded, laughing with him. "Who is this, 'they'?"

"I guess there was a bunch of them around when it happened. Evidently Char…" she stopped herself, "Chaz was introducing Jon to them."

Booth nodded, "I'll bet he was putting his machine in place."

Temperance looked at Booth questioningly, "Machine?"

"It's from an 80's movie, 'Sharkey's Machine'. A new guy gets assigned someplace and he establishes an unofficial team of people around him that he can trust." Booth explained. "Jon has Chaz," Booth emphasized the name, "Cricket, the tech in Latents, who knows who else he's brought aboard."

"How did he know who he could trust?"

"I told him about Charlie...I mean Chaz," Booth said, "Chaz must have rounded up the others."

"So Jon is just using Cricket?" Temperance said, shocked.

Booth shook his head, just as shocked that Temperance would think it, "Jon doesn't do that. He wears his heart on his sleeve. When he's interested in a woman, _everybody_ knows about it."

"Oh," Temperance said, looking at Booth, who was looking studiously at the remnants of a doughnut. She thought, _"Why can't __that__ be an area where you two are alike instead of taking notes on index cards?"_

They sat in silence for a bit. "I've started remembering things about the incident." Booth finally said.

"What kinds of things?" Temperance asked.

He shook his head almost imperceptively, "Just bits and pieces…falling to the floor…I heard a gunshot…." He looked at Temperance, "your face over me, snippets of you telling me to hold on." He didn't tell her he thought she had said, _'Come on, baby'_. It may be too embarrassing for her, and his imagination may just have _wanted_ to hear her say it.

Temperance nodded, "During times of stress, the mind can sometimes block out sights and sounds." She paused, and looked directly into Booth's eyes, tears welled in her eyes, "Thank you for saving my life," she said softly but directly.

Booth looked in hers, "Thank you for saving mine." A few seconds passed, and Booth looked back at his coffee cup and raised it to his lips, "I noticed my shirt hanging in your room…"

"_Ohh boy…here it comes,"_ Temperance thought. She looked down at her coffee cup. She held her breath, her embarrassment starting to burn her cheeks.

"Thanks for getting it ready to take to the dry cleaners for me." Temperance exhaled slowly, she looked into Booth's eyes and saw only comfort in them. "You've probably been too busy lately to actually get it into the cleaners, but the thought of you doing that was nice."

"_What kind of man have I fallen for?"_ she asked herself. _"Even now, he's giving me the ability to escape a potentially embarrassing situation. Men like this don't really exist…"_ She opened her mouth to confess all.

Booth spoke first, "I was thinking, that perhaps when we go back to my place and then come back here Sunday night, I could bring a couple more of my shirts to keep here. If you don't mind, that is."

She shook her head, eyes wide, "I don't mind," she said, barely above a whisper. Booth nodded and took a drink of his coffee.

Temperance curled her head around girlishly and smiled, "So, did you ever have any pet names for any of your girlfriends?"

"What made you think of that?" Booth asked.

"Jon and Cricket," Temperance said.

Booth shook his head, "No, not really." Temperance looked slightly disappointed. "I always thought things like 'Honey', 'Dear', and "Sweetie' sounded as though they should be coming from some middle-aged waitress at a truck stop diner." Temperance tried to look into his eyes, but his gaze was riveted on his coffee cup. "I mean there are certain terms of endearment that I would _like_ to call my significant other…if I ever get one." She raised her eyebrows showing her curiosity. "It would be something I would say in private, and it would be meant for only her." Temperance could feel a tightness in her chest. "It would sound and mean something more than the usual, 'Sweetie', 'Honey' and so forth. To me anyway."

With an unsteady voice, Temperance said, "What would you call her?"

Booth looked into her eyes, those cool, blue eyes that could drive a man insane and wipe away all of his worries at the same time. In a steady voice said to her, "My Darling…"


	24. Work and Play

"So what's the plan for today?" Temperance asked as she stuffed the empty take-out refuse into a plastic bag. "Head over to your apartment and take it easy?"

Booth shook his head, "I don't know," he looked at Temperance, "I don't feel like staying inside today. I've been inside for over a week now…granted, I was unconscious for the better part of that time…"

"But you want to feel fresh air on your skin," Temperance finished for him. He nodded with a slight smile. "Well, we've got all day…think about what you want to do."

"Don't you have an investigation you need to get back to?" Booth asked.

Temperance said, "Yes…but I can give Jon a call to see where we stand, and maybe it won't take my presence there for them to carry on." Booth looked at her doubtfully, "Did you think everything speeds up and we get the answers we need exactly when we need them? Analysis and identification takes time. It takes time for bones to be macerated and then examined. Zach can do the preliminaries."

"It's just that every time I come to the Jeffersonian, the Squint Squad usually has some new information for me," Booth said.

"But you don't just hang out at the Jeffersonian, do you? You're out looking at other evidence. Coordinating with other departments at the Bureau, and sometimes even questioning witnesses without me," Temperance explained. She put her arm out, palm up, pointing at the couch, "And I _know_ that you sleep. Don't you think we do also?"

"I never thought of it like that," Booth answered. He continued on with the train of thought, "And of course, your people aren't there all the time working either. They've got lives that they live outside of the lab."

Temperance smiled, she loved to see his mind at work. _"Now if I can just get to see him at play…"_ she thought. She said instead, "Exactly…This weekend, Hodgins and Angela went away to one of his other estates, Connecticut, I think. So we wouldn't be able to have an identification until late Monday at the earliest."

"Makes sense," Booth agreed. "I'll have to remember that, next time I get so impatient."

Temperance shook her head, "Not necessarily…sometimes we get so involved in the minute details; we need to use you to help us focus our attention on the important aspects of the evidence."

Booth smiled, "So you're saying the Squint Squad is part of my 'machine'?"

She returned the smile, "I don't know what that means. We'll have to rent that movie and watch it tonight…just figure out what we'll do today." The telephone rang. "Maybe that's something to do?" she said. She moved to the phone and picked it up. "Hello Jon!" when she realized who it was. "Just a moment while I put you on speaker." She pressed the speaker button and set the handset back in its charger. "Still there?"

"Still here," Jon said, then more loudly, "Are you there, Seel?"

"I'm here. How did you know where I'd be?" Booth asked.

"Well, it doesn't take a 'rocket scientist'. I called your place and nobody answered. This was the next call." Jon explained. "How are you feeling, buddy?"

"Getting stronger…fine motor functions in my hand are screwed."

"We'll see what we can do about that. Just as soon as the Doc, at the hospital, not Temperance, says we can." Temperance mouthed the word _'Dad'_ and smiled at Booth. "Temperance, I've looked at the security camera footage from the main gate at Arlington. It looks like a SUV, either black or dark blue was the vehicle used to dump the body."

"Couldn't see any plates?" Booth asked

"Jeesh, Temperance…are you coming down with a cold or something? Your voice got much deeper." Jon answered. Booth responded by raising his left middle finger to the phone. Temperance shot Booth a mock shocked look. She slapped his hand gently and then smiled. "But to answer your question, the SUV was driving without lights so the plates weren't illuminated and the angles of the streetlights don't lend themselves to lighting up license plates. I've got a computer tech working on it to see if she can bring it up. Do you think Angela can do something magical with her set up?"

"Once Angela gets back from out of town we can work on it," Temperance said. "She'll also be able to work on a facial reconstruction to help with the ID."

"So right now, we're pretty much at a standstill?" Jon asked.

"I'm afraid so," Temperance answered. "Booth and I were thinking of doing something outside today…He's been cooped up inside for quite awhile."

"I know what you mean…" a pause, and then Jon asked, "Hey Booth? You two want to go out on the boat for awhile?" Temperance looked at Booth. His head snapped back and a _'Why not?'_ expression came to his face. She nodded in agreement.

"Sounds good," Booth answered. "Will Cricket be joining us as well?" Temperance rolled her eyes and pushed his uninjured shoulder.

"Ahh…probably not. A little too early in the relationship," Temperance mouthed the word _'relationship?'_ to Booth with a shocked expression on her face. "I mean, I just met her last night. So what else did you tell him, Temperance?" Jon asked suspiciously.

"Not much else," she said innocently.

"Okay," Jon said, unconvinced. "If there's anybody else you would like to invite, please feel free. You got a pen and paper, so I can give you directions?" Temperance got her writing utensils from the counter and transcribed Jon's directions. She read them back to make sure she got them correct. "Okay…I'll see you guys at around 2:00 PM? Remember to pack sunblock and bathing suits. It's supposed to be hot and sunny today."

"Will do, _Dad_," Booth said, "We'll be there." And then he hit the End button. Just before he hit the button, he could hear on the other end, "Dad…" and then the phone cut out. He turned to Temperance, "You got a bathing suit?"

* * *

Jon marveled at how quickly his new nickname had spread. _"It's like those two share the same brain,"_ he thought. He began shutting down his computer and looked around the empty office. He thought for a moment, and took out his cell phone. He scrolled through the address book until he came to the entry he was looking for. He took a deep breath and, with his heartbeat increasing, he hit the Send button.

The phone rang once…twice…three times before he heard the click of the connection being made. The woman's voice said lightly, "Hello Jon. It's only been three hours since we hung up. Did you miss my voice that much?"

"Hello Cricket…" Jon began, "You doing anything today?"

* * *

Temperance rolled up to the parking space. She put the car in _'Park'_ and pushed the button to begin raising the top. Booth looked at her from under his sunglasses. "That was great," he said. "The SUV is nice, but sometimes I miss driving around with the top down."

"No problem," she said, smiling. "It was my pleasure." She didn't tell him that she rarely drove with the top down. It seemed a waste when there wasn't anyone in the other seat to share it with. Once the top was firmly buttoned down, Booth opened the door and slid his feet out. He shifted his weight and stood up. _"He's getting stronger by the minute,"_ she thought happily.

She got out and pulled her bag full of supplies out. Closing and locking the doors, she caught up to Booth who was standing, overlooking the boats and breathing in the ocean breeze. "Ready?" she asked, encircling her arm around his good one. Booth turned to her and smiled. She almost felt like she had been struck in the stomach by his handsomeness. She had had her wind knocked out of her a number of times during martial arts class. And this had very much the same feeling. He turned and, as if escorting a high school princess to her senior prom, began leading her towards where the Calliope was moored. Seeing him completely free of his FBI mode… his mind focused on nothing but enjoyment was a revelation. His charm smile, rugged good looks and manly demeanor all painted a portrait of him at work. But _this_ picture was truly worth a thousand words. His relaxed carriage, the genuine smile that came to his mouth freely, even the timber of his voice reflected a comfortable, confident man, secure in his own skin. She didn't think it possible, but this Booth was even more attractive to her than the _'man's man'_ she encountered every day at work.

As they neared the Calliope, Temperance was dutifully impressed with the boat. It was large, larger even than Sully's. It wasn't a sailboat, but a full-powered yacht it seemed to her. White, with sky-blue markings. It was moored fore and aft. It had a large aft deck, and looked like it had a large stateroom. She remembered Jon saying that he was sleeping on the boat. Above the stateroom was the bridge with a number of electronic equipment, radar, sonar, GPS, etc. Temperance surmised, on top of the bridge covering. A blonde woman, wearing an unsecured life vest over a bathing suit top, shorts and tennis shoes was at the wheel. Using the gunwale, Jon was edging his way back from the bow. He looked up and saw Temperance and Booth. "Ahoy mateys!" he waved.

Booth nodded, smiling. "Ahoy! Captain! Permission to come aboard?"

The blonde had turned at Jon's initial hello. She smiled and started making her way down from the bridge. She and Jon made it to the aft deck at the same time. He jumped from the gunwale and shouted, "Permission granted! I need someone to swab the deck!" he laughed and encircled the blonde's waist with his arm. They both moved to help Booth aboard.

Once aboard, Jon made the introductions, "Booth…Temperance…Cricket." Temperance noted that Jon had used the more common _'Booth'_ rather than _'Seel'_ to introduce Booth. Perhaps he was leaving it to Booth to okay the use of the more personal name.

Cricket extended her hand to Temperance. "Pleased to meet you both. I've heard so much about you."

Temperance shook her hand, "Pleased to meet you as well. How much could he," nodding at Jon, "have told you? Didn't you just meet last night?

"Yes, but after he was done at the crime scene last night we spoke on the phone for what?" she turned to Jon, "About five hours."

Surprised, Temperance smiled and looked at Booth. He gave her an _'I told you so,'__ look_ and smiled back. Booth said to Cricket, "Pleased to meet you. I'm glad _'Dad'_ has finally found someone else to talk to instead of wearing my ear off."

She crinkled her nose, "Oh…I don't call him _'Dad'_. It sounds kind of incestuous, don't you think? Just the kids call him that."

Jon interrupted, "Yes…well I'm sure that's all very interesting, but I'm ready to take a ride. You guys?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. "First things first..." he opened a storage area and pulled out a couple life vests. "Everybody wears one," he turned to Booth. "Especially you." He said firmly. "Something happens out there, you stumble and fall overboard...you don't drown."

Booth started removing the sling. He turned to Temperance, "Could you...?"

"Of course," Temperance said. She thought, _"He's so relaxed…he has no problems asking for my help…nice people to be around…he looks like he's genuinely enjoying himself…this is looking like it's going to be a good day."_

Eleven hours later, when Temperance had gotten him settled in his bed with his sling, after rubbing down his sunburn with baby oil she agreed. It had been a _very_ good day.


	25. Sunday Games

Temperance stepped back to admire her work. At least that was the story she would say if Booth had asked her what she was doing. He stood before her in only a pair of dark blue swim trunks. She stepped forward pressing her fingers into the water impermeable tape holding the plastic covering over Booth's dressing. She couldn't see, or feel any gaps where water may seep through. "You're sure you want to do this?" she said. "When we pull this off, it will probably hurt."

"Well, it's a little late to worry about that now," he said. "The tape is on…I may as well take a shower and worry about the pain later."

Temperance stepped back again. Trying to be clever, she stole only quick glances of the rest of Booth's physique. _"He really is put together well,"_ she thought. "At least you don't have a lot of hair…that would be even more painful."

"Ah-hem," Booth cleared his throat. Temperance moved her eyes to his, questioningly. "The dressing and plastic covering are here," he pointed to the covering on the right side of his chest. She smiled nervously at being caught. He continued, "Now I don't want to hear another word about me ogling that woman in the gym a couple weeks ago."

She nodded and said, "You look ready. Don't spend too much time in there just in case this starts leaking, okay?"

"Got it," Booth said, "I'll start out with my back. Could you soap it up for me? I can probably get everything else."

Temperance's knees seem to weaken at his request. She caught herself before they actually gave out and she ended up on the floor. "N…no problem," she got out. "Just let me know when you're ready and I'll come in." She caught an odd look in Booth's eyes, but then it passed.

"You're not going to start the water?" he asked.

"Is your other arm broken as well?" she shot back. "You're not a baby, Booth. And I'm not your nurse."

She looked at him expecting to see a hurt look. She only saw a playful glint in his eyes, "I figured I'd give it a shot," he gave her his charm smile.

She gave him a playful slap on his good shoulder, and an easy shove towards his bathroom, "Go…Let me know when you're ready."

He disappeared into his bathroom. After a moment, she heard the shower start and the metal rings of the shower curtain sliding on the rod. After a pause, his voice called, "Ready anytime you are." She caught her breath, _"Am I ever ready…"_ she thought.

Through the translucent curtain, she saw the unfocused outline of Booth's body and the delicious color of his skin, broken only by the dark blue of the swimming trunks. "Ready?" she said.

"Come on in, the water's fine," he said jokingly.

"_If only he knew how much I would like to just step in there with him,"_ she thought. She opened the curtain. The water rained down upon him, drenching his hair and cascading down his skin in rivulets. Temperance took a deep breath. He turned to her, offering her the bar of soap. She took it and began working a lather between her hands. He turned around, and with his good hand redirected the stream so that she wouldn't get wet. She began soaping his back. Once she had worked up a good lather, she moved her hand with the soap bar in front of him where he could take it from her. She started with his shoulders, working the soap into his skin, kneading his muscles. At first, she felt his muscles tighten at the unfamiliar touch. But soon they relaxed at her gentle but firm pressure. She worked her way down from his upper to lower back. Sometimes she could feel the muscles involuntarily contract, and then relax as she worked her hands across his back. She moved her hands up and down his sides and then in horizontal lines from the center of his back and wrapping her fingers around his sides to his front. "Do you want me to get the backs of your legs?" she asked.

"Be my guest," he said, almost in a moan.

She bent down and began kneading the lather into the back of his thigh, extending down onto his calf, ending onto his Achilles tendon. Up and down his leg…first one, and then the other. When she was done, she stood there with soapy hands and asked, "Anything else?"

Booth said in a strangled voice, "No…I think I can get the rest." He thought, _"Oh God…please…there's no way I can turn around now."_ He turned only his head and saw Temperance looking at him. He couldn't place her expression; rather, he could place it on another woman. But he had never seen it on her face, or in her eyes. "Thanks," he said.

She moved her hands forward to rinse the soap off in the stream. He reached up and moved the showerhead so she didn't have to reach so far. She was concentrating on her hands and didn't see the mischievous glint come to his eyes. He quickly angled the showerhead towards Temperance, spraying her with water.

The water drenched the back of her shirt and hair. "Ohh…" she yelled, surprised, and stepped back. Booth angled the water back into the tub.

"I'm sorry Bones!" he said loudly, but innocently "I didn't realize it would move so far so fast."

She stood there, astonished at his clumsiness, her shirt sticking to her back. She looked at him. One look at his face and she knew what had happened. "Ohhh, you…" She moved towards him. Booth angled the showerhead again, this time wetting her face and front. She raised her hands, squealed and retreated a bit. Booth brought the showerhead back. Temperance looked at him with resolve. Hands in front of her, she advanced again. Booth sprayed her again. She screamed. But it was a playful scream. She backed up again and looked at Booth, resigned.

He stood there, his hand on the showerhead, "I'm already wet," he said, shaking his head. "You can't win this one."

"Maybe not," she returned, "But I'll get you." Booth quickly angled the spout towards her and back again. She jumped, waving her arms in front of her, "Just wait," she yelled. She opened the door and jumped through, narrowly missing another spray of water. She slammed the door closed.

She stood in the middle of the hallway, breathing heavy, dripping wet, smiling, when she heard Booth's voice, "Bones?" She didn't say anything; she wasn't genuinely angry with him, but there's no reason he should know that. "Hey, Bones…" he tried again. She stuck the palm of her hand in her mouth and bit down to keep from giggling. He finally said, "Temperance?"

Trying to look as mad as she could, she opened the door. "I'm sorry," he looked genuinely apologetic.

She crossed her arms, "Well, that doesn't dry my clothes, does it?"

"Well," he said, "I've got some shorts in the dresser. And you could wear one of my shirts." Temperance was finding it more and more difficult to maintain the illusion of being mad. "They're too big for you, but the shorts have a drawstring, and you can tie up the shirt to be out of your way." That was it, she started to laugh. He looked at her, "What? You're not mad…That's just _mean_, you know?" After a moment, he started to laugh with her

* * *

Temperance had removed her clothes and toweled off. Standing in his closet, she chose a white dress shirt and slipped her arms through the sleeves. She started buttoning it up. She looked down at her cleavage and decided to leave the top three buttons undone. She was deciding whether to take him up on his offer of the shorts when his phone rang. She called out, "Booth?"

"Yeah," he called back, "can you get that?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he singsonged.

Temperance picked up the phone, "Booth residence."

"Dr. Brennan?" came a woman's voice over the receiver.

"Yes?" Temperance answered, "Who may I say is calling?"

"It's Rebecca Stinson."

Horror spread across Temperance's face, "Yes…Hi Rebecca…" she stammered.

"Is Seeley available?"

"He's in the shower," Temperance said, and then wished she hadn't. "I'll tell him you're on the phone."

"Wait, Dr. Brennan…"

Temperance said, "You can call me Temperance, Rebecca."

"Okay, Temperance." It seemed as though the initial shock of her answering the phone was wearing off. Rebecca said warmly, "We were wondering if Seeley is up to having Parker for some time today."

"I'm sure he would love it." Temperance said.

"Were you going to be around for awhile as well?" Temperance wondered if this was going to pose problems for Booth. But Rebecca sounded upbeat when she said, "I was going to stay and help out for a bit. You know, Parker can sometimes be a handful. But if you're going to be there, Brent and I can find something else to do for awhile."

"That's not a problem…Booth still needs someone to watch him for awhile, so I was planning on staying around," Temperance explained.

"Sounds good," Rebecca said. "So, we'll drop Parker off at about 10:00 and pick him up around 5:00?"

"What time does Parker usually go to bed?" Temperance asked.

"Depending upon how tired he is, sometime around 8:00 or 8:30." Rebecca said, "Why?"

"I was thinking that we could give Parker dinner. And if you pick him up around 7:00, that will give you and Brent a little more 'alone time', and Booth would have more time with Parker, to make up for the time he missed while he was in the hospital." Temperance paused, "If I'm not being too presumptuous, that is?"

"That sounds nice. Thank you, Temperance," Rebecca smiled. "We'll see you both around 10:00 at Booth's?"

"Sounds good…we'll see you then."

As Rebecca hung up, she thought with a smile, _"Well, finally."_

As Temperance hung up, _"Well, that shoots down what I had planned,"_ she thought. _"But this will be fun too."_ She buttoned the third button on the shirt and started digging in his dresser for the shorts.


	26. A Family Affair

Temperance looked at the clock. _'10:05'_ she thought_, 'I sure hope they haven't changed their minds.'_ She took a drink from her coffee cup, unconsciously bouncing her leg in nervous anticipation.

Booth noticed Temperance seemed nervous. _'Did I make her uncomfortable?'_ he thought. _'I thought she enjoyed wearing my shirt? Maybe she __was__just going to take it to the drycleaners?' _He said, "Are you all right?"

She jumped at the sound of his voice, "What?" Turning to him, "No…I'm okay…I'm just thinking of what we should do today."

He draped his hand on her knee, "Relax," the bouncing stopped. He smiled, "You don't have to entertain me."

She shrugged, trying not to let him know how his touch on her bare knee was doing things to her insides she had not experienced, from _any_ other man. He had never touched her bare leg before. She thought back, had she ever worn a dress in his presence? Once, she wore an evening gown. And then there were the two dresses in Vegas. And then there was the time he saw her in the hospital gown in New Orleans. But other than those occasions, she couldn't remember a time. _'I wonder what he thinks of my legs?'_ she thought crazily. Then, _'Why am I thinking about __that__?'_

There was a knock on the door.

Temperance virtually jumped out of her seat. Coolly, she said, "I wonder who that is?" and started moving towards the front door. "Since I'm up already, I'll get it." She looked at Booth sitting there dumbstruck.

He watched her go to the door. Booth had to admit, seeing her in one of his dress shirts was possibly the sexiest thing she had worn in his presence. That would also have to include the Roxie dresses. There was just something sexy about a woman wearing a man's shirt. _'Especially mine,'_ he thought. Although with his eye, he thought it would look better hanging normally instead of tied up around her midriff. She had rolled the sleeves up and they ended in a bunch at the middle of her forearms. Her shorts, excuse me, his shorts were a bit tight on her. He was surprised at that, until he remembered a woman's hips are naturally larger than a man's. Something to do with child-bearing he remembered. His gaze traveled down her legs, long and shapely, emerging from the shorts, and ending at her ankles and feet.

Temperance opened the door. Parker, upon seeing her, yelled, "Hi Bones!" Then seeing Booth at the table, rushed in to him, "Daddy!"

Booth, astonished, quickly recovered, "Hey buddy!" He reached out with his good arm, and forgetting about the pain, reached out with his other arm and hugged his son. "What are you doing here?" He looked at Temperance.

Rebecca walked inside the apartment. She looked at Temperance with a smile, "You didn't tell him?"

Temperance, smiling, looked at Booth and then at Rebecca…she shook her head, "I wanted it to be a surprise."

Rebecca smiled and said to Booth, "We thought you could use some time together."

Booth didn't know whether she meant Parker and him, or all three of them…his smile lit up his entire face. "This is great!" He looked straight at Temperance.

Rebecca turned to Temperance, "This is a new look for you," she said teasingly.

Temperance said, "Oh no….Booth had some problems with his shower head and my clothes got all wet." Rebecca nodded her head. Temperance continued, "I'm just wearing these until my clothes are dry."

"Uh-huh," Rebecca said. She turned to Booth, "Temperance and I figured 7 tonight would be a good time to pick Parker up. Is that okay?"

Parker squirmed around on Booth's lap, turning to put his back to his father and facing the two women. "Yay!" he cried.

Temperance could see the pain on Booth's face whenever Parker touched or pressed on the right side of Booth's chest. "Be careful Parker," she said gently. "You father is still hurt there. We need to be careful so he doesn't tear his incision." She looked at Rebecca to make sure she wasn't overstepping her authority.

Rebecca nodded, "Parker," when she got his attention, "you mind Dr Brennan now. Remember, she's helping daddy get better." She looked at Temperance, support in her eyes. Temperance looked at Rebecca with gratitude in hers.

Booth said, "What about me?"

Rebecca turned to him and said, "You mind her too." Booth's jaw dropped. Rebecca turned to leave and said to Temperance, softly so only she could hear, "Good idea, surprising him like that."

Temperance smiled and closed the door after Rebecca had left. She moved over to the other chair at the table. Booth looked at her with such a heartfelt look of gratitude she thought she would melt. "So," she said, "What should we do today?"

"We'll figure something out," Booth said, bouncing Parker on his knee.

"I've got a couple of ideas," she said. Both Booth and Parker looked at her expectantly. "How about we go to Hillside Park for awhile?"

"Yay," Parker yelled.

"Then we can come back and I can teach you a card game my father and I used to play."

"Yay," he yelled again.

"And I can cook us some dinner." Booth looked stunned at how she had taken control.

"What are you gonna cook?" Parker asked.

Temperance shifted her eyes, "Maybe some liver…" she smiled.

"Nooo," Parker made a face; so did Booth, she noticed.

"Or…maybe a tuna casserole…" smiling still.

"Nooo," he said louder.

Temperance's eyes lit up, "I've got it….How about some macaroni and cheese?"

Parker raised both his arms, and Booth raised his left arm and his right arm about half-way. They both cried, "Yay!"

* * *

While Booth and Parker played in the living room, Temperance went through Booth's cupboards and refrigerator taking stock of his supplies and making a list of items she needed to pick up. She found with Booth being in the hospital for over a week, many of his perishables were past the expiration date. She grabbed a carton of milk and opened the top. She sniffed. Not expecting it, she was nearly bowled over by the smell. "Whoa!" She jerked her head back and put the cap back on. Blinking back tears, she coughed and looked at the expiration date on carton.

Booth, who heard her exclamation, looked up, "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" She said, "What's wrong with you?" She held out the milk carton to his uncomprehending look. "This milk is over a month past the expiration date!" Booth didn't respond. "Why do you still have this in your refrigerator?"

"Well, I've been in the hospital…" he started.

"For a little over a week!" she exploded. "This went bad over a month ago!"

"Well, I would have gotten around to it…" he started. Temperance rubbed her nose. "How can _that_ smell any worse than when you are leaning over a decomposing body?" he challenged.

She almost yelled, "I'm expecting that smell…I'm not expecting it when I open a carton of milk in a refrigerator!"

Parker poked Booth in the shoulder and laughed, "Ooohhh…you're in trouble now, Dad!"

Booth looked at Temperance with a 'What do I do now?' look. She started to laugh…and then he started to laugh.

* * *

Sunday afternoon at Hillside Park turned out to be a relaxing, fun time for all of them. Temperance, still wearing Booth's shirt and shorts, completed the look by wearing a pair of his flip-flops. "I can't wear the boots I wore over to your house with _this_," she had said, indicating the shirt and shorts. They tried Booth's tennis shoes, but they were too big. The only way Temperance could have walked without one or both of them falling off her feet was to shuffle her feet along. Not picking her feet up at all. After walking around the apartment like that, she had decided it was too tiring. That's when Parker came up with the idea of the flip-flops.

So there they sat, on the bench waiting for Parker to finish his ride on the carousel. She, wearing Booth's oversized shirt and shorts, her legs crossed, one flip-flop dangling from the foot bounding back and forth. He, wearing jeans, a t-shirt and tennis shoes. _'All I need to complete the look,'_ she thought, _'is a cigarette dangling from my lips, and Booth wearing a baseball cap turned backwards, holding a can of beer.'_

"Think it's too close to dinner for an ice cream cone?" she asked.

Booth turned to her and smiled. "Not at all," he said. He started digging into his pants pocket, "Here, I'll pay."

Temperance smiled, "No," she said. "Put your money away. Today's my treat."

Booth acquiesced, "Okay…" he tilted his head towards her, "But I wish I would have known that earlier." Temperance looked at him. "I would have voted for a steak instead of mac and cheese." She smacked his good shoulder.

"I noticed your arm has a little more mobility," she said. "How does it feel?"

"Pain once I get to the end of my range of motion," he said. "But fine until then."

Temperance stood up, "What kind of ice cream do you and Parker usually get?

"Chocolate, with nuts," Booth said smiling.

She nodded, "Chocolate with nuts," she looked skyward, "How did I know?"

Booth laughed and reached out and took her hand and squeezed. She looked down at him and smiled. To Booth's surprise, she didn't move to disengage her hand. She stood there, the wind gently blowing her hair softly about, looking into his eyes and holding his hand. The music of the carousel was dying down. Booth slid his hand down hers to where only their index fingers held each other. "I'll go get Parker," she said, "then we'll get some ice cream." Reluctantly, he let her go.

* * *

All three of them sat on a bench overlooking the pond eating their ice cream cones. Chocolate with nuts for the boys, strawberry for the girl. Temperance sat on the left, Parker on the right, with Booth in the middle. The temperature was mild, and the sun was warm on their skin. They didn't have to hurry to eat their treats, trying to beat the melting sun. They watched the ducks swimming lazily from side to side. People, families passed here and there. Temperance felt relaxed. _'Is this what contentment feels like?'_she wondered. She was snapped out of her daydream by Parker's voice, "Awwww." She looked and saw that he had somehow dropped his ice cream cone.

He started to reach down to pick it up when Booth said, "No…no….no…no way, buddy." Parker looked sadly at him. "That's on the ground. It stays there."

"But what about the 5-second rule?" Parker asked.

"That only applies inside our own house," Booth explained. "Outside makes it a whole new ballgame." Parker nodded dejectedly. Booth said, "Here…you can have this one." Offering the cone to his son.

Parker said, "No Dad, that's yours." Booth looked at him, surprised. "And you're not feeling good. Whenever I don't feel good, Mom sometimes gives me ice cream, and then I feel better."

Temperance could see that Booth was genuinely touched. "That's okay, Parker," she said. "Your Dad and I will share this one and you can have that one." Booth looked at her with such affection she was almost overwhelmed.

He looked back at Parker, "That's right," he said offering his cone again, "just be careful you don't drop this one. Because it's the last one." Parker licked the ice cream happily.

Booth turned to Temperance, "Thank you."

Moving closer, she rested her right hand on his left thigh, she said, "No problem," offering the ice cream to him. He reached up to take the cone, but she moved it away. He lowered his hand and looked at her, confused. She offered it again, "We're sharing…that doesn't mean you get to hold it."

He smiled at her, and crooked his neck to lick the ice cream. He sat back, covering her hand with his, watching her. She raised the cone to her mouth and licked the same place. Back and forth they went with the ice cream. Booth's and Temperance's fingers interlocked. One time when it was Booth's turn for a bite of ice cream, they heard a _'Click.'_ Looking up, they saw a young woman with a 35mm camera around her neck. She smiled and came up to them.

"Hi," she said, smiling. "My name's Annie Tressler. I'm a, I guess they would call it a 'budding photographer.' I was just so struck by your family that I had to snap a photograph." She started digging into her camera bag. Temperance could see Booth starting to open his mouth to correct her, but Temperance poked him with her elbow. The woman came out with a business card. She handed it to Temperance. "If you like, you can give me a call, and I can send you some copies. I work in black and white primarily, so the cost to me is minimal; there wouldn't be any charge to you. I can send them wherever you like, so you don't have to worry about giving out your address."

Temperance smiled and said, "Thank you, we'd like that," ignoring Booth's shocked expression. The two women said their goodbyes. Temperance stuck the card in her shirt pocket. She offered the ice cream to Booth. He took a lick.

And so they sat, watching the rest of the world go by, eating ice cream, enveloped in their cocoon for three.

* * *

They decided to walk around the pond. Parker traipsed between Booth and Temperance, holding each of their hands. Occasionally, they would swing Parker up and back, sending waves of laughter rolling along the concrete path.

At one point, Parker disengaged from Temperance and Booth, running towards the flock of ducks, which had decided to leave the safety of the pond. The ducks went scurrying out of his way with loud _'Acks'_ of displeasure.

They walked on, seeing other children playing with the ducks, feeding them bread. At one point, Booth and Temperance sidled closer to one another. Their arms touching. Booth, his heart racing, reached out with his hand and sought hers. Their fingers intertwined. Temperance looked up at him. It seemed as though they were standing in the eye of a hurricane. Everything else became a blur. Silence filled the air. He leaned in closer…she leaned up towards him…"

"Hey Dad! Look!" Parker's voice cut through the seeming whirlwind around them. Booth and Temperance watched as Parker fed the ducks with some bread another boy had given him. The two smiled and waved; Booth only able to raise his right hand about halfway up. Temperance sighed and started walking again. But she didn't release Booth's hand.

They continued on the path around the pond. Sometimes holding hands, other times Booth's hand would slip down and all that held them together were their entwined pinkies. The two of them found it was enough.

* * *

Temperance watched the two of them dig into their plates of macaroni and cheese. She had also made a salad for each of them, but they lay forgotten in their little bowls. She was worried that Parker may not like her version of mac and cheese. Booth had told her, "Hey…all he'll know is that it tastes a little bit different. All he cares about is it's mac and cheese." From what she saw, Parker liked her version very, very much.

He cleaned his plate and then asked plaintively, "Could I have some more, please?"

She felt like Mr. Limbkins in Oliver Twist when she suggested he work on his salad a bit more. She was almost ready to give in when she looked at Booth. He shook his head, "Look buddy," Booth said, stabbing a forkful of lettuce, "you gotta eat some salad before you get more of the 'good stuff'." He jammed the forkful into his mouth. Temperance could hear the crunching of the lettuce.

Parker, seeing he wasn't going to win this one, picked up his fork and began eating the salad. Evidently, he either liked the salad or the Catalina salad dressing. Temperance was surprised to see him finish the entire serving of salad…and ask for more. Along with more mac and cheese of course.

* * *

After dinner, and after the dishes had been cleared and put in the dishwasher, Parker asked Temperance, "Can we play 'Blitz' again?"

"Sure," Temperance said. She had taught Parker the game prior to making dinner. She looked at Booth and caught a brief grimace and slight movement of his right shoulder. "I've just got to do one thing first." She thought a moment and then said, "Why don't you get the cards ready?"

Parker nodded, "Okay," he started opening the card box.

Temperance got a clean towel and spread it out on the counter. She opened the freezer and pulled out some ice and wrapped it in the towel. She pulled out a roll of bandage tape and a bottle of Ibuprofen from her bag. Moving over to Booth, she took him by his good arm, "Come on," she said, leading him to the couch. She helped place his right arm in the sling and then said, "Okay…where does it hurt?"

Booth said, "What?"

"I know your arm is tired, and you've got some pain," she said. "Now where is it?"

Booth resigned himself. He put his hand at the junction where his shoulder met his arm. Temperance put the ice towel where he directed, and then used the tape to affix it in place. When done, she asked, "How's that?"

Booth smiled reassuring her, "Much better. Thank you."

Temperance popped the bottle open and withdrew two of the tablets. She handed them to Booth, who put them in his mouth. She handed him his lemonade and he washed the tablets down. Temperance looked in his eyes, "You take it easy now." Booth nodded, sat back and closed his eyes.

Temperance turned to Parker, "Are you ready?"

He nodded, smiling. His little legs swinging back and forth below the chair seat.

* * *

Rebecca said to Parker, "You all set to go?"

Parker yawned, and nodded his head.

"Okay, give your Dad a kiss, and we're gone."

Parker went over to Booth and the two hugged. "See you later, buddy." Booth said.

"Bye, Dad." Parker went over to his mom.

Temperance and Booth both saw him whisper something into Rebecca's ear. She nodded happily, "It's okay with me. Why don't you ask her?" Temperance and Booth looked at each other in confusion.

Parker addressed Temperance, "Can I give you a hug?" Booth looked at Temperance, a smile coming to his face.

Temperance was in shock. She recovered quickly however. "Of course, Parker. If you like." she smiled.

He ran over to her and hugged her. Temperance returned the hug with no reservations. He whispered into her ear, "Are you gonna be my daddy's girlfriend?"

Shocked wasn't the correct word to describe what had happened to her. Astonished…flabbergasted…overwhelmed were good words. She stammered, into his ear, "I don't know."

Parker responded, "I hope so." Then he was gone, skipping back over to Rebecca. The two of them waved goodbye and then left.

Booth leaned over, "What did he say?"

Temperance smiled, her heart beating fast, "That's between him and me." Somehow, Booth knew he would never get her to tell him.

* * *

Booth was lying in the Temperance's guest room bed. It had been a terrific day. A terrific weekend. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Temperance opening the door. "Booth?" she said.

He became fully awake. "Here, Bones. Is anything wrong?"

"No, not really." she wasn't sure how she was going to say this. She figured honesty was the best policy. "You know, tomorrow the doctor will probably release you to live on your own again."

"You mean…"

She nodded, and then realized he probably couldn't see that, "You won't need to have anybody watching over you. You'll be able to live at home," she paused, "and I'll be here."

"Oh…" he said, "well that will be good for you. You won't have your life in such an uproar anymore. You'll be able to get back to your routine." He sounded sad.

"I didn't mind at all." She said. "After you woke up and we could talk, and laugh, and…" she paused. "Well, I thought it was nice…better than nice."

"Yeah," Booth agreed.

"And tomorrow, it'll be different?"

"Yeah," he agreed.

She took a deep breath and said, "Would you mind if I stayed here for awhile? I mean, nothing is going to happen. But I'd like to stay here…with you…for awhile."

"A last night together?" Booth said. She sobbed softly, hoping he didn't hear. He didn't seem to as he said, "I'd like to have you in my arms again. Like when I woke up?"

She moved to the bed and crawled on top of the covers. She nestled in his side, with her head on his uninjured shoulder. She laid her arm across his chest.

"Temperance?" he said.

"Yes?"

She heard the smile in his voice, "This weekend has been my best weekend, ever."

She smiled and sighed, "Me too."


	27. Girl Talk

"What time is your appointment with Dr. Camarillo?" Temperance asked, sliding her arm around his waist. She bent her elbow, extending her arm up the center of his back. He liked the familiarity.

"Ummm…" Booth scanned through his paperwork again. "It looks like it's at 1:00."

"Do you want to stay here, and I'll come pick you up?"

Booth thought about Friday night, the last time he was alone in her apartment. "I could always go and hang out at the Jeffersonian for awhile?" He looked into her eyes. "If you don't think I'd be in the way?"

"That's a great idea," she said. "Jon should be showing up sometime this morning to follow up on what we've got so far on the remains we found Friday night. We can get some lunch at the diner before going to the Doctor's."

"You're sure I won't be in the way?"

"Of course," Temperance nodded, assuring him. "And if you tire, you can take a nap on my couch."

"Sometime today," Booth said, changing the subject, "I need to find out where my car is. Hopefully, the Doc will let me drive."

"He should, unless he thinks you're not healing as expected," Temperance said. Booth looked at her with a questioning look. She continued, "I mean, you appear to be gaining strength every day. But they may have some concerns we don't know about." Booth nodded, accepting her supposition. She laid her head on his shoulder, "I don't think it would be all that terrible if I needed to drive you around for awhile longer."

Booth turned and lowered his head to the top of hers. His face rested in her silky hair. He closed his eyes and murmured, "No it wouldn't."

* * *

Hodgins was the first person to see Temperance and Booth come through the door. Booth walked of his own volition, without help from Temperance. Hodgins, Cam, Zack and Angela were on the platform performing various tasks in their examination of the remains. Hodgins raised his arm to look at his watch and started shaking his head. He called out to them, "And just where have you two been?" The rest of the team looked at him, and then turned to see who he was talking to. "Do you have any idea what time it is? You are very, very late!" Smiles ran rampant as they moved to meet the two.

Both Booth and Temperance smiled as the rest of the team came streaming down from the platform. Angela reached them first. Booth was surprised as she squealed and then enveloped his neck with her arms and hugged him, pinning his arm in its sling between them. She kissed his cheek and backed away, beaming. "Glad to have you back up! Maybe now Brennan won't be such a stranger here!" Temperance smiled at Booth's genuine look of pleasure at seeing everybody.

Once Angela had stepped away, her place was taken by Cam, who hugged him just as tightly. "You gave us quite a scare, Seeley!"

"I told you not to call me Seeley, Camille," Booth playfully admonished.

Cam stepped away, only to be replaced by Hodgins, "I love you, man." Booth looked at Temperance with amusement and seeming terror as Hodgins hugged him. Hodgins disengaged from Booth and stepped back.

Zack stood in front of Booth, "It is a pleasure to see you again, Agent Booth." Zack patted Booth's left shoulder three times with an open hand. "I hope you are not in too much pain."

Booth smiled broadly, and patting Zack on the shoulder, with an open hand, "I'm fine Zack. I feel fine, now."

Booth looked from one to the other, "Thanks everyone for the cards and visits while I was in the hospital. I'm looking forward to being back working with you all again." Even though everyone was smiling, Cam and Angela noticeably wiped away tears. "Thanks for covering for Bones while she spent so much time with me." He looked at Temperance, "And thank you for helping me get through it." Temperance looked down and closed her eyes, slightly embarrassed at his singling her out. He turned back to the group, "You're all like family to me." And then, hoarsely, "Thanks."

Murmurs of "Awww" and "Yay" filled the area. Temperance walked forward and slid her arm around his free one. Angela looked at the movement with delight, "I think that's enough excitement for now. Booth is going to be here until we go to his appointment at the Doctor's this afternoon. But for right now, I think he could do with some rest." She started directing him towards her office.

Booth nodded and said, "Talk to you guys later." The team affirmed their good wishes and started back up onto the platform.

Temperance situated Booth on the couch and went about her routine starting up her computer and getting ready to work. After awhile, she noticed Angela standing in her doorway. She signaled silently for Temperance to join her in her office. Temperance nodded. To Booth she said, "I'm going to get some coffee. Do you want anything?"

"No, thank you," Booth said through closed eyes, "And tell Angela that I'm really doing okay."

Temperance looked at him, surprised, "What do you mean?"

Booth opened his eyes, "You and Angela are going to go into her office for one of your heart-to-hearts, aren't you?" Temperance picked up her empty coffee cup and started to shake her head in denial. Booth rose up and looked at her office door to where Angela stood in the doorway. She waved at Booth. "That's what you're going to do, isn't it?" he said to Angela.

She looked at Temperance, "He's got us down, sweetie."

Booth lay back down. Temperance, slightly miffed, set her cup down loudly. She got up and walked over to him. Pinching his good shoulder, "You can be so aggravating sometimes, you know?" She moved towards the door.

"It's a tough job," he said, "But I knew the job was dangerous when I took it." He closed his eyes, listening to the two women as they scampered off.

* * *

Safely in the confines of her office, Angela said, "You two look like you got some sun. What did you do this weekend?"

"Ange," Temperance answered with a smile, "It was one of the best weekends I can remember."

Angela's eyebrows rose, "Really? Did you and he…you know? With the bad arm, chest wound and all?"

Temperance's smile faded a little, "No…" Angela looked disappointed, Temperance continued, "But I wanted to. I had a plan…on Sunday. But we spent the day with Parker instead."

"You had a plan?" Angela repeated, "Did Booth know about it?"

Temperance shook her head, "No…I haven't been able to tell him I Love him yet."

"What? Why not?"

"Jon doesn't think he's ready yet." Angela looked at Temperance skeptically. "And I think he's right," Temperance added. "He still hasn't put all of the guilt out of his head. If he doesn't do that, we will never have a chance. It will just keep eating away at him."

"That sounds an awful lot like psychology coming from Dr. Temperance Brennan," Angela noted sardonically.

Temperance nodded, "I have to accept that most people are not going to behave rationally….that sometimes they will be driven by something other than factual evidence. That's especially true for one as empathetic as Booth"

"Wow…" Angela marveled, "Who took care of whom this weekend?"

Thinking about the past weekend, Temperance's smile returned in full bloom. She leaned back on the couch, "Oh Ange…it was wonderful. It didn't start out that way, with me being called away to the crime scene Friday night." Angela liked seeing this side of Brennan. This was what she had been pushing her friend to for three years. "Saturday," Temperance continued, "Booth didn't want to spend it cooped up inside. When Jon called to update me about the case, Jon suggested we go out on his boat. I've never seen Booth so relaxed and…I guess _'content'_ would be the best word to describe it."

"Jon has a boat?" Angela asked, surprised.

Temperance nodded, "A big one. I think Jon said it was 68 feet long."

"Wow," Angela said. "Where did you go?"

Temperance looked at her friend with surprise, "No place special…we just went out on the ocean…stopped for awhile….and then came back."

"Really?" Angela said, "You didn't have a destination pre-planned and all mapped out? You?"

"I know," Temperance marveled. "And then Sunday, when I was helping Booth shower…"

Astonished, Angela almost yelled, "You showered together?"

"No," Temperance said disappointed. "But I would have," she looked at Angela seriously, "if I could have thought of a plausible reason." Angela shook her head in disbelief. "Anyway, he was wearing shorts and I washed his back and the back of his legs…" Angela smiled broadly, "he doused me with water from the shower. So I had to put on one of his shirts…"

Angela groaned, "Ohhh…yeah…"

Temperance sat up straight. She pointed her finger at her friend, "You too?"

Angela nodded her head and smiled. "Mmmmm….when I wear one of Hodgins shirts I just feel so…"

"Warm and secure?" Temperance finished.

Angela's smile broadened; she nodded, looking off into one of her memories, "I don't know what it is. I mean I've tried to duplicate the feeling, you know?" She looked back at Temperance, "By buying a man's shirt and wearing it. But it's just not the same, you know?" She alternated raising and lowering each of her shoulders.

Temperance continued, "So, I was putting his shirt on, thinking about seducing him," Angela's smile became more pronounced and she raised her eyebrows, "but then Rebecca called and asked if Parker could come over for awhile."

Angela's face became crestfallen. "Oh, sweetie…I'm so sorry."

Temperance's face beamed, "No, Angela. It was a good thing. We went to Hillside Park, had ice cream, Booth and I shared one after Parker dropped his and Booth gave him his. But we walked around the pond, held hands…" astonishment grew on Angela's face again. Acknowledging Angela's surprise, Temperance continued, shaking her head, "I used to think public displays of affection were uncouth and contrived. But somehow, it felt…"

"Right?"

Temperance nodded, "And appropriate. We almost kissed as we were walking around the pond." She added, smiling.

Angela returned the smile, "What happened?"

"We were walking, side by side. Holding hands. We just got closer. He leaned down, I looked up…and then Parker yelled for our attention."

Angela leaned back, "Oh…" she said disappointed.

Temperance shrugged. "There will come another time. I'm sure of it. But the rest of the day was just as wonderful. It was almost like…"

"You were a family," Angela smiled.

"Yes," Temperance agreed. She didn't tell Angela, it was while she was playing 'Blitz' with Parker, while waiting for Rebecca to arrive, that she realized she wanted to have Booth's children. She knew that she had railed against having children many times. All the evil in the world, scarcity of the world's resources, overpopulation, all of the rational reasons _not_ to have children. A number of men have imagined themselves creating a family with her. Until she had spent this time with Booth, she never imagined she would want something with such desire. Not because she wanted children per se, she wanted to have _Booth's_ children. And in her mind, she reasoned, that wouldn't be such a bad thing at all. The world could use a few more Booths in it.

_'A few more Booths...'_ she thought. She started rolling combinations around in her head, _'Dr. Temperance Brennan-Booth...Dr. Temperance Booth...Dr. Temperance Booth-Brennan...'_


	28. What's Goin' On?

Upon entering the Jeffersonian, Jon looked up on the examinations platform and saw Cam, Jack and Zack immersed in discussion. He turned to his right and saw Temperance studying something on her computer screen. He walked over to her door and knocked on the glass.

Temperance looked up; she smiled when she saw it was Jon. "Good morning," he said. "How is Seel doing?" She put her index finger to her lips and then pointed to her couch. Jon crept in and saw that Booth lay asleep on the couch. Temperance was surprised to see Jon's expression harden. He walked over and shook Booth's uninjured shoulder, "Up and at 'em," he said loudly close to Booth's ear. Booth's eyes flew open, and he started to get up.

"What are you doing?" Temperance yelled, "He needs his rest."

Jon looked at his watch, "Yes," he shouted back. "But it's ten o'clock in the morning! What has he been doing to tire himself out this early in the morning?" He looked into Temperance's eyes, pointing to the couch, "How long has he been sleeping there?"

"About an hour," Temperance returned, just as loudly.

"So, what massive amount of physical demands has he been doing that he needs a nap at 9:00 AM?" He turned to Booth, "On your feet." Booth looked at him. "What are you waiting for? An engraved invitation explaining the rationale in small words to get you on your feet?" Booth got up. Jon turned back to Temperance, "Well?"

"Well, we got up, and then came into the Jeffersonian," Temperance was beginning to lose steam.

Jon stood waiting. Eyes slightly wide, he shook his head minutely, "Anything else? Did you park further away so he had to walk awhile?"

"Ummm…" she said. And then in a lower voice, "We parked in the handicapped stall."

"Excuse me?" Jon bellowed. "I didn't quite hear that. Where did you park?"

"In the handicapped stall!" she said more loudly. Indicating Booth's wounds, "He's been injured," she continued.

Jon said levelly, in his normal voice, "Do you have a Handicapped Parking tag for your car?"

Temperance, realizing she had been caught said coolly, "No…"

"Any plans to apply for one?"

"Ah…no," she said.

Jon shrugged his shoulders and cocked his head. "Why not?'

"Because…" she started.

"Because he wouldn't qualify!" he yelled. "He can walk fine," looking at Booth, "At least he could before you started treating him like a baby!" Temperance looked hurt. Jon's mood softened. "Look," he said , "I understand you want to take care of him." Temperance nodded. Jon turned to Booth and said sternly, "And I understand you want to be taken care of." Jon exhaled, turning back to Temperance, "There's a reason the Doctors at the hospital had him up and walking around the first day he woke up. Activity will help build his stamina. But if he regresses, it will be that much harder for him in the long run." Jon angled his head so he could look into Temperance's eyes. All she saw was concern in them. She nodded. Booth looked at his feet.

"Are we okay?" Jon asked Temperance.

She nodded and looked in his eyes, "We're okay."

Jon turned to Booth, "And you…you need to stand. If you get tired, you can sit. I don't want to see you lying down unless you're sleeping for the night." He pointed his finger at Booth, "You stay awake…all day." Booth nodded. "There's a name we used to call people who milked their injuries. Do you remember?'

Booth asked, "Do you want the clean one or the other one?"

"We're in mixed company, Seel." Jon said.

"Malingerers," Booth said. Temperance and Jon both saw that Booth understood what Jon was getting at. She smiled, she could almost imagine them, 15 years ago, Booth as a raw recruit and Jon as the tough drill sergeant.

Jon turned to Temperance, his voice absolutely normal, he said, "Do you have anything you can give me on the case?" If she hadn't been part of the blow-up, she never would have guessed he had been angry...or the extent of the anger.

"Yes," she said, "Let's go out to the platform."

Jon turned to Booth and said, "You coming?" Booth looked around the room, as if looking for someone else Jon had addressed. "Yes, you…" Jon said. "For the same reason I'm working with Temperance, you need to keep your skills sharp as well."

"Makes sense," Booth said.

"Besides," Jon continued, "You're better at this than I am." And he moved out the door.

Booth and Temperance exchanged looks not unlike those of survivors after a hurricane. Temperance thought, _"He tears him down, and then builds him back up."_ She thought she understood a little of why Booth cared so much for Jon. _"Tough Love…just like Max."_

* * *

"All total," Zack explained, "there are 23 markers of bruising or fractures on the bones." He continued, "None of which would be fatal."

Cam continued, "Due to carbon deposits in his trachea, the victim was immolated while still alive." Angela moaned softly.

"Can you fix the time frames for the time of death and the beating?" Jon asked, writing on his index cards.

"Larval growth and particulate matter would place the time of death at approximately 4 to 5 days," Jack added.

"I concur," Cam said, "But with Zack's help determining blood flow and staining on the bones, I would place the beating at about 24 hours prior."

Angela said, "They beat him, let him suffer for a day and _then_ set fire to him?"

Cam added, "Also, tox screen shows a high amount of rohypnol ingested prior to his death."

Booth said, "They drugged him so he couldn't fight back, beat him, left him for dead, came back, found out he was still alive, and then set fire to him." He looked at Temperance, "These guys are some nasty bastards."

Temperance said, "Hodgins, have you found anything in what's left of his clothing or the blanket?"

Jack said, "The clothing was an old-style Army service uniform. Although I did find other traces of a dress uniform jacket. While Booth and Jon are the experts, the two are not worn together. I found this…" he handed a small item to Jon. Jon looked at it a moment, and then passed it to Booth. He gulped, visibly shaken and passed it on to Temperance.

She looked at it closely; working with the military in identifying remains she had seen an item like it before. It was a ribbon used on a decorations bar for a military dress uniform. A blue field in the center for about ¾ of the ribbon, flanked by white lines and then red fields of about 1/8 inch.

"What is it?" Angela asked.

Temperance passed it on to Angela. "It's a military service medal." She turned to Booth and Jon. "Do either of you recognize it?"

Booth nodded. "It's a Distinguished Service Cross…"

"Only the Congressional Medal of Honor is regarded higher than the DSC," Jon added softly.

Jack said, "He was a war hero?"

Booth and Jon nodded silently.

After a few moments, Cam said, "I also determined a high degree of cirrhosis in his liver."

"Brought on by alcoholism?" Jon asked.

Cam nodded, "It's possible."

Booth asked, "Could that also explain some of the bruising?" Temperance looked at Booth with undisguised surprise.

Cam said, "Yes, it could. But I don't think it would cause the degree of bruising that we've seen."

"Anything more from the blanket?" Jon continued.

At that moment, Temperance's cell phone rang. She stepped away to take it.

"I'm still trying to identify some of the spores, droppings and insect infestation. I'll know more in a couple of hours."

Temperance stepped back into the group. "Okay," Jon said. "What we've got so far is a war vet, about 60 – 70 years old, probable alcoholic, was lured someplace, drugged, beaten and set on fire. He was then wrapped in a blanket and dumped from a moving SUV in front of a national cemetery." He turned to Angela, "By the way," extracting a CD case from his jacket pocket, "this is the security recording from the main gate. The vehicle was driving without lights, so we couldn't see the license plates. Do you think you can raise them?"

Angela took the case, "I can certainly try."

Any progress in identifying him?" Jon asked.

"Once Zack gives me the tissue markers, I can give you a rendering," Angela said.

Jon turned to Zack, who said, "That's what I was working on prior to this meeting." Jon nodded his approval.

"We'll also run his dentals against the Bureau's missing persons database," Angela added.

Jon nodded, "Also expand it to the Pentagon's personnel database. I'll have the Bureau do a search for DSC recipients in the past 50 years." Angela nodded.

"Anything else?" Temperance said. Shrugs and head shaking all the way around the group.

"Thanks everybody," Jon said. He withdrew his phone, "I'll get the bureau to check for any similar unsolved dumpings."

The group broke up. Booth moved over to Temperance. "Anything important?" he said, indicating the phone call.

"Just something Jon and I have been working on," Temperance said. Then teasingly, "Why? Are you jealous or something?"

Booth smiled, "Not jealous. Just…"

"Nosy?" she finished for him.

They turned to listen to Jon's conversation.

"Hello, Tom? It's me, Jon…Jon Smith…Special Agent Jon Smith…we met Friday night..." he looked around furtively. He said at a lower volume, "It's '_Dad'_."

Hodgins looked up from his microscope. He turned and looked at Angela and Cam, who turned and looked at him. "Dad?" he said. The two women began smiling. They looked at Booth and Temperance who were almost in hysterics.

Jon shot them all an exasperated look, "Yeah…it's good to talk to you again, Tom. Can you pull up any outstanding cases involving veterans murdered and then dumped? Preferably, dumped near a government building or some other government site? Also, do a search of Army Distinguished Service medal recipients in the last 50 years...Thanks Tom. When you get it, just route it to Chaz and I'll get them from him. Thanks." Jon hung up and looked to see three set of eyes looking at him with laughter submerged just below the surface and two giggling schoolchildren. "I have two guns, people. Three if I count my backup."

Cam saluted, "Yes sir," turned and walked off the platform.

Angela smiled warmly, "I'll see what I can do with this, Dad" and moved towards her office.

Jon looked at Hodgins, "Hey…I've got no place to go. I'm already at my workstation."

Jon exhaled noisily, he turned to Booth and Temperance, who were trying to stifle their amusement, "This is gonna be a long three months," he said, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger.

* * *

Temperance and Booth stood outside the main entrance to the Jeffersonian waiting for Jon to drive around with the SUV. It had surprised her that he did not make Booth walk to the car. She chalked it up to Jon knowing how far he could push Booth. She moved to stand closer to Booth.

"You know," she said. "When we're in private, we can be like we were on Saturday and Sunday. No one would have to know. We just wouldn't be living together."

Without looking, Booth reached down and grabbed her pinky with his.


	29. Assumptions & Presumptions

Temperance sat in the waiting room, legs crossed, her foot tapping stridently on the floor, a magazine in her lap. She turned the page of the magazine noisily. _'Snap.'_ She looked at Jon, reading his magazine. She was surprised when he had taken out a set of reading glasses and perched them onto the tip of his nose. She leaned over to him and asked him in a whisper not much lower than her normal voice, "How can you be such an extraordinary marksman when you need glasses to read?"

He leaned over to her and answered in a mock whisper, "I guess I've just been lucky nobody has tried to shoot me with a book." Jon looked over to the two other people sitting in the waiting room. He smiled. _'Snap.'_ They returned the smile as though they were trying to mollify the monster in a slasher movie. He sat back and returned to his magazine.

'_Snap.'_ The sound of her turning pages cut through the waiting room. "I don't know why we can't be in there when they're doing their examination," Temperance _almost_ whispered. _'Snap.'_

Jon looked at her without moving a muscle, save his eyes. He looked back down at his magazine. "Look at that," he said. "They found water ice on Mars." Temperance looked at him, _'Snap.'_ He continued, as though talking to no one in particular, "I mean, I've always heard them talk of the polar ice caps on Mars…I just always thought they knew they were water."

'_Snap.'_ Temperance, foregoing the pretense of whispering, said, "He's been in there for 45 minutes already." Turning to Jon, "What could they be telling him that we can't know?" _'Snap.'_

Jon, still looking at his magazine, "You know, the Mars ice caps have been getting smaller and smaller." He raised his head and looked at Temperance over the readers, "How do you suppose the Global Warming people are going to explain that one?"

Temperance stopped…a page of the abused magazine still clutched in her fingers. "You haven't heard a word I've said, have you? Doesn't it bother you that you aren't getting the information first hand?"

"Of course I've heard you," Jon said. "I just thought it was nervous chatter like…" he pointed to her foot still tapping. She looked at her leg, finally conscious of the noise she had been making. "Why is it so important for you to be in there with him? Do you think he'll leave something out?" Jon responded.

"It's just…he may not understand fully what the Doctor's telling him. I may be able to explain it to him."

Finally showing some interest, Jon closed his magazine. "Do you really think he won't understand the Doctor's instructions?"

"Well," Temperance said, "since I know more about the skeletal system, and the human body in general, I'll understand the ramifications of what the Doctor says."

"Really?" Jon sat up straighter. "Do you do that often? Explain things to Seel before he asks?"

Temperance looked at Jon curiously, "Sometimes." Jon's expression became blank. She could not read any emotion from him. "It's only so that he won't be embarrassed by asking about things he doesn't know about in front of other people." Jon just looked at her. Temperance felt she had just become a target locked under the assassin's aim of Jon's eyes. She felt a chill traverse her spine.

Life flowed back into Jon's eyes. His mannerisms became freer. "I'm starting to think you may be part of the problem."

Astonished, Temperance said, "Me? How?"

"How do you think it makes him feel when you're 'filling in the blanks' about something you think he doesn't know anything about?" Temperance looked around, not focusing on anything. "Don't you suppose it makes him feel like you don't think much of his intelligence?"

"But I accept that he understands more about empathy and interpersonal communication than I do, and I accept his explanations when he offers them." Temperance countered. "I don't interpret that as Booth trying to exert superiority over me."

Jon said, "But how often does Booth offer those explanations unbidden? Or does he wait until you ask, or otherwise make it known that you don't understand?" Temperance thought about it. After a minute or so, Jon continued, "If you haven't come up with an instance by now, I don't think you will."

"Do you really think," Temperance said, "that he thinks I think he's inferior intellectually?" Temperance reran her sentence back through her mind. She shook her head. "I didn't mean to give that impression…that I'm more intelligent."

"Didn't you?" Jon asked. "Isn't it a way of maintaining balance? Or exerting more power?" Jon paused, and then nodded his head, "Maybe it's not conscious. Maybe it's just a way of asserting yourself." He looked at Temperance, "But it's not necessary. Seel knows you're intelligent. He knows your independent. That's what attracts him to you. He doesn't want the damsel in distress. He wants the fellow combatant against the foes of his Universe. He doesn't want fealty. He's more interested in someone to stand beside him...as an equal."

"You really think he feels like I'm hitting him over the head with my intelligence? Granted, I've gone to college, and I have degrees. But why would he do that?"

"You've been to college? And you've got degrees?" Jon said dryly. He leaned forward and motioned for Temperance to come closer. She leaned in. "Obviously, he either hasn't told you, or perhaps you didn't get this far when you checked him out." Temperance started to protest when Jon said, "If you tell me you haven't taken at least a quick glimpse of his file, I'm fully prepared to call you a liar." They looked into each other's eyes. "Now, how much did you get?"

"Not much…he was a sniper in the military, registered over 50 kills." She continued, "That's what I got from the file, what he's told me and I've reasoned after some conversations is that he grew up in Philadelphia, his Dad flew combat missions in Vietnam, after that he became a barber in Philadelphia. His mother wrote jingles for a local advertising agency. He has one brother, Jared. He was an athlete, but his athletic career was cut short by an injury. He was raised Catholic, and is somewhat put off by talk about sex."

"Is that it?" Jon asked.

"Oh…he's afraid of clowns," she added.

Jon smiled. He sat back and inhaled deeply. He said, "This is between us, that I told you, okay?" Temperance nodded. "You…me…and that couple over there trying not to let us know they've been eavesdropping." Jon looked at the man and woman in the chairs. They quickly went back to reading their books. "Would it surprise you that Seel has a degree?" Temperance could not hide her smile. She shook her head. While he never mentioned it to her, she had Googled the qualifications for Special Agent status in the FBI. A degree was one of the requirements. "Would it surprise you," Jon continued, "that he has a Master's from Temple University in Criminal Justice?" Temperance's smile faded. "His minor was in Philosophy."

"What? How…" she started.

"He had a scholarship from Temple for basketball. Something happened off campus; a non-athletic situation occurred that injured his shoulder." Temperance watched Jon. "He lost his scholarship." Jon looked towards the treatment rooms and then looked back. "He joined the Army to take advantage of the educational benefits after he got out. Being a sniper is not very intensive duty. Except when you are on a mission. There was time, in-between assignments, for him to continue his education. He already had his bachelor's by the time he got out. Once he started in the FBI, he was convinced to continue on with his education and began working towards his Master's."

"You pushed him," Temperance said. "In the Army and during his time working for you in the Bureau...You pushed him to get his degrees."

"Education is very important," Jon explained. "It can be a ticket out of a very tough situation."

Temperance knew there was more to the story. But Jon would not tell her. It had to come from Booth. She looked down, "I'm sorry I made assumptions."

Jon's mood turned lighter. "Here comes the nurse. I think she'll be taking us back to Booth's treatment room."

Temperance put her hand on Jon's, "Are there other assumptions that need to be erased?"

"You mean about me?"

"In general," she said.

"Well, we're not all "good ole boys", "rednecks" or cowboys who like to play with their guns. We don't get off on spying and looking into our citizens' lives. All we want to do is keep you safe, so you can have your "Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness." On more personal levels, Sam Cullen's got a Doctorate in Criminal Justice from City University in New York." Temperance looked in his eyes, waiting. "I also have a Master's in Criminal Justice from Arizona State…also minored in Philosophy." He continued, "I guess Seel and I were trying to make sense of our place in the Universe."

"Aren't we all?" Temperance said.


	30. On The Path

As Temperance and Jon entered the treatment room, they saw Booth sitting on the examination table, shirtless, and Doctor Camarillo writing in a patient folder. Temperance caught her breath every time she saw Booth at any stage of undress. Shirtless just happened to be her favorite. She wondered absently, _'Will I ever grow tired of looking at him?'_ She answered, _'Maybe if we were really old.'_ Then, on second thought, _'No way.'_

Booth watched them enter the room, and smiled. Temperance and Jon returned the smile. "Good afternoon, Doctor Camarillo," Jon said. Temperance went over to stand by Booth. Jon continued, "How's our boy doing?"

Dr. Camarillo stood, smiling, and shook Jon's hand, and then Temperance's. "Mr. Smith…Doctor Brennan. Good to see you both again." Temperance looked at Booth's wound, almost clinically examining it. Booth had a six-inch scar running diagonally from the juncture of his shoulder and arm down into his right chest. What looked like tiny pinpricks lined either side of the freshly formed scar. "Mr. Booth is doing extraordinarily well," Camarillo's smile broadened. Temperance turned to Doctor Camarillo, smiling. He continued, "As you can see, his incision has healed quite nicely…and we have removed the sutures."

Temperance turned back, smiling. Her eyes locked with Booth's_. "He looks a lot more comfortable,"_ she noted.

"How's his range of motion, Doctor?" Jon asked.

"Much better than we anticipated." He turned to Booth. "Do you want to show them?"

Booth began raising his arm, elbow straight, in front of him. He got it all the way level with his shoulder before his strength gave out. "That's terrific!" Temperance encouraged. Booth smiled and looked first at Temperance and then at Jon. He began flexing his fingers.

Dr. Camarillo continued, noting Booth's movements, "He still has some tingling and numbness, but it's actually better than when he first awoke…Correct?"

Booth nodded. "It does feel better today. It seems to come and go." He turned to Temperance, "Dr. Camarillo thinks it may be Thoracic Outlet Syndrome." He looked at Temperance and paused a moment. She looked deep into his eyes, waiting. He thought he saw _'Encouragement?'_ He continued, "He thinks it may be caused by a Pectoralis Minor tightness." Temperance moved her hand to his chest. He took a deep breath and continued, "Or a Costo…clavic…ular Approximation." He said the unfamiliar word hesitantly, making sure he got it right. Temperance nodded, smiling. "Basically, it's compression in the space between the collarbone, first rib and muscles and ligaments in the area." Booth looked in her eyes again. What he saw surprised him a little. He could swear he saw not surprise in her eyes…but pride.

Jon, standing back, smiled. _'They're on their way,'_ he thought. Turning towards the Doctor, "So you think the problems with his hand will go away?"

Dr. Camarillo nodded, "With exercise, and stretching; I don't' see why not." Exhalations of success blew through the room. "He has come a long way. Farther than we could have expected."

Jon said, "You can thank Temperance…excuse me…Doctor Brennan for that." Temperance looked at Jon, surprised. "I don't think she's left his side much at all since the whole thing started."

'_Didn't he just spend the better part of the day angry, chiding me? Now he's praising me? What's going on?'_ She thought. Then she felt Booth reach for her hand, interlocking his fingers with hers. She looked down at their hands. Temperance moved over to stand in front of Booth, reaching out, she put her hand at the base of the back of his head and pulled him towards her. His arm encircled her waist and rested in the middle of her back. Pursing her lips, she kissed him gently on the forehead. He rested his head on her upper chest, below her neck. She laid her head onto his, "You're going to be all right," she whispered." Her rise in emotions scared her. _'What have I gotten myself into?'_ she thought.

"There's nothing like a good woman standing by a man's side to help speed his recovery," Doctor Camarillo agreed.

* * *

After finishing at the Doctor's office, he wanted to see Booth back in about three weeks; they spent about an hour at the physical therapist. Booth underwent a battery of range of motion and strength tests. The therapist then ran him through some basic exercises he wanted Booth to do at home, and finally, iced his shoulder. They gave Booth some equipment, rubberized bands for strength training and a rope pulley contraption to help him increase his range of motion. He was also set up for appointments three times a week.

During this time, Temperance had received a telephone call from the real estate broker she had employed to find a suitable place for Booth to rehab. The woman had also contacted a number of contractors to do the refinishing work on the structure to Jon's specifications. Only one contractor was available for the job and they would both meet Temperance and Jon at the property at 4:00 PM. During this time, Jon and Temperance discussed the recent bumps in the road and agreed that Booth's rehabilitation was of the utmost importance. Temperance felt better knowing that, while Jon could be abrasive at times, he truly had Booth's interests at heart. "And it just so happens," Jon said with a smile, "you are one of his primary interests."

"Just one of his interests?" Temperance said, teasingly.

"Well, you know," Jon said, "Truth, Justice, and the American Way can be pretty fierce competition."

"What do you think he is? Superman?"

"Don't you?" Jon smiled.

She returned the smile and then began reading her mail on her Blackberry.

* * *

Jon steered the SUV towards the outskirts of town. Temperance sat in the back seat turning the rope-pulley contraption over and over, trying to figure out how Booth would use it. "Booth," she finally said, "_how_ does this work again?"

He reached back for the item. She placed it in his hands. Booth took the clip and held it with one hand. "The clip will go over the door. This will let the pulley and rope hang down. I hold one end of the rope with my injured arm, and pull down on the rope with my good arm. That will force my other arm up."

"And what will that do?"

"Well, because of the pain caused at the end of my range of motion, the tendency is for the muscles to stop. By pulling with my good arm, it forces my arm through the end-point of the range, stretching it out, thereby increasing my range of motion." He looked at her.

She smiled, "Thereby?"

He smiled, "What?"

"I've just never heard you use that word before."

"You got lots to learn about me." Booth said, "I am a constant surprise."

"Yes…you are."

"Okay…Okay…" Jon interrupted. He turned to Booth, "Do you want to come with us to see your home away from home for the next couple of months?"

Booth took a deep breath. "Might as well. I've got nothing else to do."

Temperance leaned forward, "Do you want to work on some of the paperwork of the cases that we work on?"

"I can do that," he agreed.

"And you can also supervise the refinishing of the building with me," Jon suggested. To Temperance he said, "Did you make that phone call?"

Temperance said, "Yes…And I also faxed your plans, so she should be able to give us an estimate."

"We don't need an exact time frame and cost." Jon said, "Just something in the ballpark."

Temperance's brow furrowed. "Ballpark? What does that mean?"

Jon and Booth looked at each other. Jon raised his hand in a gesture of 'giving something away' and then turned back to the traffic. Booth smiled, "When we say something is in the ballpark it means that the answer doesn't need to be exact. It just needs to be close enough that we can have an idea of the final outcome."

"Where did the term come from?"

The two men looked at each other. Jon shrugged. Booth continued, "I don't know, I can take a guess." He looked at Temperance.

"Please do," she said, enjoying watching Booth's extrapolations. _'His mind __is__ very sharp,"_ she mused. _'How did I not see this before?'_

"I think it comes from going to a baseball or football game. It doesn't matter where you sit. You can still see the game and enjoy the experience." He looked at Temperance, "Which is the whole point of going to the game in the first place…you're in the ballpark."

She smiled, "Have you ever noticed; many of your metaphors have to do with games?"

"Is that why you tend to miss them?" Booth teased.

"I'm learning, though. You just have to be patient; I'll 'get the hang of it'."

Booth smiled. "You got that one right."

* * *

The warehouse was an old, one story, brick building about the size of one and a half city blocks. It sat on a parcel of land on the outskirts of town. It had minimal windows and to Temperance, it looked more like a bunker. "What was this used for?" she asked.

"Primarily shipping storage." Jo said. "The railcars would come in and drop their cargo here. Companies would store the items in here and then distribute it back out when needed."

"There's just the one floor?" Jon asked.

"Yes," Jo noted. "I know that Dr. Brennan had requested a basement, but I thought the size of this facility, and its location might override that requirement."

Booth, Temperance and Jon wandered around the warehouse. Debris was scattered here and there. _'Not too bad,'_ Jon thought. _'Much better than I was expecting.'_ He looked at Jo. She was an attractive woman in her 30s. Black hair, green eyes, shapely. She wore pumps and would sometimes stumble in the debris as she walked.

"What kind of power feeds and air conditioning system?" Booth asked.

"Dual utility feeds, from two separate grids. Fresh water and sewage lines already in place." Jon looked at the number of drop-cords hanging from the ceiling.

"And the air conditioning?" Temperance followed up on Booth's question. "I can feel that it's on."

Jo nodded, "When you said that you wanted to see the place this morning, I had the property manager turn on the A/C. From what I understand, the owner had installed a new rooftop unit just before the tenant company went belly-up." Temperance turned to Booth. He gave her a knowing nod of his head and mouthed, _'Later'_ to her.

"What's the size of the building?" Jon asked. "And how long has it been vacant?"

"158,400 square feet." Jo stated. "It's been empty for 18 months."

"And the asking price?" Temperance asked.

Jo cleared her throat, "One million." She added, "The owner is willing to go down as far as 900,000. But he's pretty firm on the basement price."

Temperance said, "I thought you were going to have a contractor here to give us an estimate for the renovation work?"

Jo looked at her watch, "He was supposed to be here…" The door opened, as if on cue.

A man of about 40 shouted, "Hey Jo!" He waved to her. "Better late than never!"

Jon sized him up. Thin, except for his belly, which was distended. It looked like he had swallowed a basketball. _'A drinker'_ he thought. Reddish hair, unkempt. _'Perfectly acceptable as he had just come from another job site.'_ Jon thought. He sauntered up to the group and said to Jo, "So, who are your friends?" He turned and looked at the three.

Jo started, "These are the potential buyers." Going around the circle, "Dr. Brennan, Seeley Booth and Jon Smith…this is Randy Demmel." Turning to Randy, "Did you get a chance to look at the plans I faxed over?"

"Yes, I did. I made some preliminary estimates…wiring, HVAC, blocking up the windows…"

Temperance interrupted; she didn't like him, "Just give us a ballpark figure." Jon and Booth both smiled.

"I came up with 250,000 for a crew of 25."

"What kind of time frame are we looking at?" Booth said.

"Probably about a month. But with big jobs like these, you never can tell. Sometimes things pop up that we didn't expect," Randy said. He looked around, "We can start in about two weeks."

Jon turned and smiled at Temperance in a _'I'll take care of this'_ manner.

Turning to Randy, "Well, that time frame won't really work for us."

Nodding, still looking around, Randy said, "I might be able to move some things around and be able to start in a week." Looking at Jon, "But it'll take at least a month to complete. Plus, my men will want overtime, if necessary"

Jon smiled, and even chuckled a bit. He moved closer to him, "Randy is it?" Randy nodded. "Here's how it's going to work. It's not an hourly job. We agree on the cost, I give you a date and you will complete it on that date. For every day it's late, the cost to me is lowered by 10 percent. You pay your workers. If they lag and don't get the job done, it comes out of your pocket. On the flip side, if you complete the job early, for every day prior to the completion date, you get an additional 10 percent. I pay for all materials and equipment to be installed."

"My workers won't agree to that," Randy said.

"Actually, I think if you told them the terms, they _would_ agree. Of course if you try to make me look like the bad guy and try to pocket as much money as you can, then yeah, they won't agree to it."

Randy thought about it. "What kind of money are we talking about?"

Jon stated, "350,000," Randy's eyes got big. "But the work has to begin in seven days and be completed ten days after that." Jon looked at Booth. Booth nodded. He'd be ready.

Randy shot back, "No way. I'd have to hire more men."

Jon nodded slightly, "Is that your final answer?"

Randy smiled. He looked around, "Yeah, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm your only option standing here."

"Well, thanks for stopping by," Jon nodded to Temperance and began walking towards her.

Temperance said into her phone, "Did you hear all that, Carol?"

"Yes, I did Dr. Brennan," came the voice from the speaker.

"What do you think?"

"The only problem would be that my crew is about 200 miles away from you. That would be a terrible commute, don't you think?"

Jon said, looking at Temperance "We'll," pointing at himself, "put your people up in a hotel here near DC. We can run a bus out and bring them in and then take them back when the job's over." He added, "I'll also pay them a 100 a day per diem." He smiled, "Do you think they can stand to be away from their families for 14 days?"

Randy piped up, "You're giving them 14 days?"

Jon turned to him, "You're still here?" after a pause, "Actually we'll be paying them for 10 days of work, and then two days on either side for transportation." He turned back to Temperance.

"What do you think, Carol?" she said.

"I think we can swing it. We're still waiting for government clearances to start work on the bridge. So we certainly have the time. And I can put together a workforce of about 50 people. That will include electricians, masonry workers, and other construction workers. Does this mean you've accepted my 150,000 bid?" Carol asked.

Temperance was about to answer when Jon stopped her. "No…" he said, drawing the word out. "I set out 350,000 as the price I was willing to pay. That's what you and your people will be earning." Temperance leaned down and kissed his cheek. Jon, embarrassed looked to Booth, who was smiling broadly.

Jo asked, "Who is that?" indicating the phone.

Booth said, "Her name is Carol Grant. She is a construction Project Manger that Dr Brennan and I met a few months back. Dr. Brennan hired her to help reconstruct the bridge leading into her town in West Virginia."

"We'll talk more about this tomorrow," Temperance said, "Okay Carol?

"I'll be expecting your call," the voice said happily.

Booth said loudly, "Hey Carol? Make sure you bring Andy when you come into town, Okay?"

"Will do. Thanks you guys! You guys are like our Guardian Angels." And then she hung up.

Jon turned to Jo, "It looks like we have a deal." He shook her hand. Jon turned to Temperance, "Do you want to pay for the building or the construction?"

* * *

Booth was moving his right shoulder in a circular motion. Trying to work out the feeling of blood rushing to the muscles. He had just completed his exercise session. _'Three times a day,'_ he thought. _'And then weight lifting…and of course Jon's specialty torture starts in three weeks.'_

The phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and smiled when he saw the call was from Bones. "Booth residence," he said with a smile.

Temperance laughed, "Did Rebecca tell you that's how I answered your phone?"

"Who else?" he returned the laugh.

"How are you feeling?" she said.

"Okay," he answered. "I just got done with a set of the PT exercises. I'm getting ready to put on the ice thingy."

"Ice thingy?"

"Yeah, the ice wrap to put on my shoulder." He explained.

"Did you have any trouble driving?" she asked.

"Just a little bit making sharp turns. I'm thinking driving may help me with my range of motion and stretching," he said.

"Today ended up being a pretty nice day, didn't it?" she said.

"Didn't start out that way," he said.

He heard her voice take on an insulted tone, "What? What was wrong with us waking up in each others' arms?"

Embarrassed, he quickly said, "That's not what I mean. It started out great, and then it got bad, and then it got great again."

"And now it's not so good," she sighed.

"Yeah, you're over there, and I'm over here." He returned her sigh.

"Hey…I sent you something," she said, "Did you get it yet?"

Booth looked around, he didn't know why; He knew he had not gotten a delivery today. "I haven't seen it. What is it?"

"It's a surprise," she said. "The woman I talked to said it would get there tonight."

"Well, there's still an hour left for delivery drivers." Booth heard the knock on the door. "I think it just arrived," he said as he moved to the door.

"Good," she said. "I'll get to hear your reaction."

"So what did you send over?" he said as he opened the door.

Temperance stood in his doorway, eyes sparkling, her phone to her ear, holding a tub of microwave popcorn with a DVD of "Sharkey's Machine" resting inside.

"Me."


	31. Step by Step

**Disclaimer:** "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins; "I Got Loaded" by Los Lobos; "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper; "Double Shot of My Baby's Love" by Swinging Medallions; "Runnin Up That Hill" by Placebo; "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner

* * *

'_Oh_

_Think twice_

_'Cause it's another day for you_

_You and me in paradise…'_

Booth hated cardiovascular work. He could feel his heart beating faster…his breathing seemingly to rasp in and out of his lungs…and the soft rhythmic _'thump…thump…thump'_ of his footsteps. The words of the Phil Collins song filled his ears from the mp3 player hanging around his neck, between his tee shirt and chest. The beat of the music serving as a guide for his strides. The music was Jon's idea. Jon had put the playlist together as an aid to help Booth pass the time during his run. The beat and timing of the music helped him maintain a steady, smooth pace. Booth wondered what else was in the playlist.

There was only one thing Booth hated more than running. That was running on a treadmill. Whenever he had to get on one, he felt like a gerbil spinning in its wheel in the cage. That's why he was outside. The day was bright and warm. Humidity was low, at least comparatively so in the DC area. In the summer, it always seemed as though he was just on the edge of sweating, even while he just stood still. Today was different. He had decided to get his cardio in early.

His arm and the jarring of his footsteps didn't seem to be giving him any problems today. He ran loose…easily. The first mile was the toughest. Trying to find his rhythm between breathing and trudging, step by step, over the packed earth. His mind started to wander.

Had it really been three weeks since he had started Physical Therapy? The therapists, as well as Doctor Camarillo had been astonished at his quick recovery. He still had tingling and numbness in his hand and fingers, but it had abated noticeably. _'I guess they hadn't seen a patient work the exercises as dutifully as I did,'_ he thought. _'Of course, having Jon and Bones around to keep me focused didn't hurt either.'_ He smiled at the thought of Bones. _'She's an amazing woman. I really should do something special to thank her.'_

* * *

'_Last night, I got loaded_

_On a Bottle of gin, on a bottle of gin_

_But I feel alright, I feel alright_

_I feel alright, I feel alright…'_

Booth smiled. He remembered the song from his days with Jon in the Army. Jon had introduced the song to the rest of the squad. It was one of those infectious, fun, nonsense songs that you can't help but have a good time with your buddies. He could picture Jon, pounding out the chords on his guitar while singing the first verse. Even though Booth couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, he always got Booth to sing the second verse. For a while, when he had started to learn how to play, Booth would follow along with Jon. Booth searched his mind, 'Who does this?' he asked himself. And then the answer came, 'Los Lobos.'

Booth's mind turned back to the more recent past.

* * *

Temperance's cell phone rang. She, Jon and Booth were sitting in her office discussing the case of the murdered veteran. Temperance saw it was from Carol Grant and excused herself from the ongoing conversation. Booth and Jon continued talking in hushed tones.

"Hello Carol," Temperance said happily.

Carol's voice was subdued, "Hello Temperance, I'm afraid I've got some bad news."

Temperance feared the worst, "Andy's okay, isn't he?"

"What?" Carol said, confused. "Yes…yes he's just fine." She smiled at Temperance's concern for her newly adopted son. "But the bad news concerns the job."

"Hold on while I put you on speaker." Temperance hit a couple of buttons, "Still there?"

Jon said to Booth, "Why do people _always_ ask if the person is still there anytime they transfer them to a speaker phone?"

"Is that you Agent Booth?" Carol asked.

Temperance cut Booth's reply off, "That's nobody." Jon looked hurt. He pointed to himself and mouthed the word _'nobody'_ to Booth. Trying to ignore Jon's mock-injured feelings, Temperance continued, "He's one of our partners. You'll meet him when you come for the renovation work."

"Hello Carol," Booth said loudly. "You don't have to use _'Agent'_…just Booth will do."

"Okay," Carol said, "As far as the job goes, I was just telling Temperance that we've kind of hit a snag here."

"What's the problem?" Temperance asked.

"Well, the head electrician on my crew has had a family emergency and can't make the trip. And our best mechanic broke his leg last night."

"How did he do that?" Booth asked, although he didn't know why. There wasn't anything he could do about it.

"Are you sure you want to know?' Carol asked, sounding _'embarrassed?'_

"Ohh…this is going to be good," Jon smiled.

Carol took a breath and said, "Well, he got drunk and, with us starting to replace the bridge in a couple of weeks, he decided to see if he could jump the gap with his car."

Booth smiled…Temperance looked at the phone as if it had just exploded…Jon just out and out laughed. Temperance recovered and asked incredulously, "And he only broke his leg?"

"No," Carol started laughing along with Jon, "but that was the main disqualifying factor for him coming to DC." After everyone got the laughter out of their systems, Carol continued, "So, we'll have to postpone a little bit until we can find an electrician and mechanic."

Temperance said, "How long do you think…" and Booth waved his hand to get her attention. She stopped and looked at Booth.

Booth said, "Why don't you go ahead and stick with the original timetable, Carol? Other than those two, you have a full crew and work schedules and deadlines all set out? The buses are due there tomorrow, right?"

"Yes," came Carol's disembodied voice. "And all of the permits are in place, as well."

Temperance and Jon both looked at Booth, unable to read what he had in mind. "We'll find somebody locally. You guys just get on the buses or come by whatever method you want." Booth nodded at Temperance.

Temperance agreed, "I think we can do that. What do you think, Carol?"

Carol's voice was much lightened, "Sounds good."

"We'll see you, Jimmy and Andy tomorrow night, okay? We'll take you out to dinner," Temperance finished.

"We'll see you then, bye" and Carol hung up.

Temperance looked at Booth, "All right, what's going on in that head of yours?"

"We need an electrician and a mechanic, right?" Temperance nodded. "Why not your Dad and Russ?" Booth saw Temperance's expression change to one of unadulterated adoration. He had only seen it once before. When he had set up the tree for her family's Christmas in the conjugal trailers.

* * *

'_That,'_ Booth thought, smiling, _'was a great day.'_ His body seemed to have pushed through the wall of resistance. His strides were longer. He was breathing easier. His legs and breathing moved in rhythm with the music.

'_I come home in the morning light_

_My mother says when you gonna live your life right_

_Oh mama dear we're not the fortunate ones_

_And girls they want to have fun_

_Oh girls just want to have fun…'_

* * *

He smiled, remembering Bones' singing. Almost like a remote control, his mind switched channels.

Work was progressing on the "Seeley Booth Rehab Center," as Jon had put it. The debris had been carted away. Masonry workers had sealed up all of the windows. With the intention of having a firing range inside, it would not have been a good idea to have stray rounds bouncing through a window to the outside. The floor had been cleaned, conditioned and sealed. Some of the equipment was already in place and working as expected. Max had agreed enthusiastically to work on the project. Booth smiled. He honestly liked Max. And Russ too. Russ had proved to be an extremely capable mechanic. It didn't seem to matter what type of machinery needed fixing. He would study it for a while and then come up with a solution to get it back working again. Temperance had not paid much attention to what was being built in the old warehouse. She left the details to Carol, Jon and Booth. Max, upon seeing the plans was amused.

"What are you guys doing, here?" he asked, "Building a playroom for big boys?" Jon assured him that almost everything being done had a rehab purpose. Max smiled, "If you say so. I just wouldn't want to be you when she finds out what's going in here. But I would _love_ to be a fly on the wall."

He didn't have long to wait.

Temperance, Angela and Cricket pulled up to the warehouse. They had returned from a shopping trip for Andy. Temperance had never actually been shopping for a child before. She had always farmed it out to an Intern. But it seemed Angela's and Cricket's excitement for baby clothes and toys was infectious. They had to virtually pull Temperance and Andy out of Toys-R-Us. When she pulled up, Temperance noticed a number of delivery vans dropping off equipment. Even though she didn't believe in the Deity, when she saw the 102" Plasma TV being carried into the building, with a stunned expression on her face, she breathed, "Oh…My…God."

She got out of Booth's SUV. "Can you bring Andy in?" she asked Angela, barely able to control her anger.

Angela shook her head, "Nope."

Temperance stopped, "No?"

Angela said simply, "I don't believe it's good for children to witness violence."

Temperance closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Angela traded looks with Cricket. Temperance opened her eyes. "All right, I'm calm now." She opened the door and began unbuckling Andy from his car seat. Once completed, she began carrying him and his diaper bag inside.

Cricket offered, "Would you like me to carry him, or something?"

Temperance said, in a controlled voice, "Thank you," and handed Andy to her. Angela took the diaper bag.

The two women, and Andy, followed the growing storm into the building.

The inside looked completely different than the last time Temperance had been here. The floor was highly polished and was free of the refuse and debris that cluttered it. Scanning the area, she found Carol's project desk and marched over. Carol was talking to Russ about the mechanics of a traveling target system when Temperance arrived.

"Good afternoon, Temperance." Carol said, "Where's…?" and then she spotted Cricket following behind with Andy. She smiled and waved.

"Hi Tempe!" Russ said with a smile.

"Don't _'Hi Tempe'_ me!" Temperance snapped. "Are you in on it?"

"In on what?" he said, genuinely confused.

"On building this little playground?" she said.

Not knowing what she was talking about, all Russ could do was stand there open-mouthed.

Carol looked at her, "You didn't look at the plans?" Temperance shook her head.

She grabbed the plans; turned and yelled, "SEELEY BOOTH!...JONATHON SMITH!"

Her voice pierced through the workman's din like claws on a blackboard. Very, Very large claws.

Jon, Booth and Max were standing together on the other side of the warehouse when Temperance's shriek rang through the air. Booth's smile quickly evaporated. He started looking for somewhere to make his stand against the onslaught he knew was coming. Max leaned towards Jon, "If I were you," looking from one to the other, "I would find someplace to hide…right now." Jon looked at him as though he hadn't a clue what he was talking about. "Anytime a woman uses your full name, you are in a huge mess," Max explained. Booth swallowed, hard, eyes darting from side to side.

Jon gave Max and Booth a dismissive look. He turned towards the sound. That was when he first saw it. The fury that would from that day on be known as "The Brennan Brouhaha." Too late, he raised his hands to ward off the attack. She pummeled him with the rolled up plans. The tube smacked him on the right side of his head. "What?" she raged, "Did you think I wouldn't find out?" Whack!...on the left side of his head. He never thought rolled up papers could hurt that much. "What is this? A tree house for overgrown boys?" Jon staggered back. Booth was riveted to the floor. He tried, very hard. But his legs wouldn't move. She saw him. Raising the rolled up plans over her head, she crashed them down onto his face. "You! You were in on this from the start!" She turned, only seeing Max within range. He got off lucky, she pointed her finger; her eyes narrowing to slits, "Now I know why Booth suggested you for this job!"

Jon started forward, hands raised in front of him, guessing that she was running out of steam. "Temperance," he said loudly. He took a breath, knowing that while he was the target of her wrath, at least he would die in a good cause. Booth and Max would escape. She turned to him, still angry. "I know what you're thinking."

"Do you know how Torquemada dealt with those in his charge?" she said.

Jon looked from side to side, "No."

"Then you don't know what I'm thinking." She said simply.

"Okay…let's go through your objections, one by one."

"We'll die of old age first." She said.

Jon looked around. There was quite a crowd of workers. Angela was there. He saw Cricket, holding Andy. The sight of her standing there, holding a baby was enough.

"I apologize, Temperance," he said. "I should have explained what we were going to do and how." He looked at the workers, "You guys can knock off for the day. I'm sure you want to get back to the hotel, clean up and relax."

Many of them shrugged, shook their heads, comments of "No…this is fun…I wanna see what happens…this is better than TV…" wafted from the crowd.

Jon, exasperated said, "All right, I'll give you each a hundred dollars if you'll go away for the rest of the day." The crowd started moving towards the door. After everyone, including Jimmy, Andy and Carol had left; all who remained were Cricket, Angela, Max, Russ, Jon, Booth and Temperance. Jon looked at Temperance. She _looked_ like she had cooled down. "Okay…what are your concerns?"

"I get the firing range," she said. "Honestly, I understand that and the weight lifting equipment, the treadmills, massage table, whirlpool, showers…I understand those." She paused, "An electronic dart board?"

"That's for fine motor functions. Repetitive motion for his shoulder."

"A regulation-sized pool table?"

Jon explained, "Again, for the fine motor functions for his hands as well as shoulder and arms. It will help with his aiming of rifles."

Max agreed, "That makes sense to me." Temperance shot him an angry look. "Have you ever played pool? It takes a lot of concentration and muscle control."

"Strobe lights and sound system? Are you setting up a disco in here?"

"Of course not. We would need a mirrored ball for that." Temperance did not smile. Jon coughed and continued, "They will be used to help sharpen his concentration while firing." Temperance looked at Jon skeptically. "He'll need to be able to block out all kinds of distractions."

"Batting Cage?"

"Eye-hand coordination." Temperance sighed. Jon added, "Plus it will help him get his strength back."

"102-inch Plasma TV?"

"The remote control will help his fine motor functions in his hand." Temperance looked at him in disbelief. He nodded, "Okay, you got me on that one. It's so that we can relax after the workouts." After a pause, "That's what the recliners are for too."

Temperance looked thunderstruck. He had an answer for every one. "Why this? Couldn't the same results be accomplished using other means?"

"Do you mean, using certain exercises to focus in on specific muscle groups?" Temperance nodded. "Sure we could do that. But it's easier to stay motivated if you enjoy what you're doing. If you have fun, you'll want to do a tedious task because the bad stuff is hidden." Jon continued, "Kind of like Mary Poppins; a spoonful of sugar…"

Temperance finished "…Helps the medicine go down." She smiled. Temperance looked at Jon with renewed respect. He really did know what he was doing. She crossed her arms and shifted her weight, "Who's going to be giving him the massages?

"I will," Jon said. Everybody looked at Booth. "It's not that kind of massage!"

Temperance sighed again. "All right," smiles from the men. "But I want some things added to this funhouse." Jon smiled. "First off, I want some mats. So Cricket and I can practice our martial arts."

Jon turned to Cricket, "You know martial arts?"

She smiled, "There's lots of things you don't know about me yet."

Angela added, "Mirrors on the walls." Booth and Jon looked at her. "So I can practice my Tae Bo."

"Anything else?" Jon asked.

"Yes," Temperance continued…

* * *

Booth thought, _'That's how we ended up with boxing equipment, men's and women's showers and bathrooms. Not to mention a sauna.'_

Booth had already reached and passed the turn-around point of his five-mile run. He felt strong. Usually by this point, he felt slightly winded and fatigue would be rolling into his legs. But today he felt none of that.

'_Woke up this morning, my head was so bad _

_The worst hangover that I ever had _

_What happened to me last night _

_That girl of mine, she loved me so right (yeah!) (oh, oh) _

_She loved me so long and she loved me so hard _

_I finally passed out in her front yard (whoo!) _

_It wasn't wine that I had too much of _

_It was a double shot of my baby's love'_

He smiled at the "Oldie but Goodie."

* * *

Booth's mind turned to the cases.

Another beaten and charred body had been found. This time, the body had been dumped on Washington Avenue. Near the Pentagon. Angela had made the identification of the first body. He was Sergeant Harold Williams. Sixty-seven years old. He had served two tours of duty in Vietnam. He was awarded the DSC for holding off a squad of Viet Cong, who had ambushed his squad, until help could arrive. Jon and Temperance had spoken with his next of kin. They found out he had been living on the street. His daughter had tried to take him in, but he would always leave. The last years of his life were spent between homeless shelters in the winter and squatting under a highway overpass. Questioning volunteers and residents at the various shelters in the area yielded no further information.

This new body was an almost duplicate of Harold. Drugged – rohypnol was the agent again, beaten, burned and then dumped near a military facility. Angela had also identified this man. It didn't take as long this time due to easier access to the Pentagon's databases. He was Tommy Donovan. A former corporal who served in Vietnam also. He was a recipient of four Purple Hearts. Booth was awed by that. Four times he had been wounded. And he still came back for more. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder had done a number on him, though. An alcoholic, he was in and out of treatment throughout the rest of his life.

Booth, Jon and Chaz poured over the records Tom had sent of veterans who were reported missing. Only one case file bore any similarities to the ongoing cases. Specialist Sidney Johnson, also a Vietnam Vet was found on a bench at the Vietnam Memorial. He had died of an overdose. Again, it was determined he had ingested rohypnol, and was beaten post-mortem. However, he had not been burned. The time frame of his death would place him as the first victim. Chaz had suggested that the perpetrators had miscalculated on the dosage and killed him. Not seeing an ability to inflict more pain and damage, they had decided just to dump the body. They could have walked the body to the bench and left him there.

Booth noticed the case seemed to be taking its toll on Jon. He had stopped shaving. For the most part, Jon was still the same, happy-go-lucky guy he always was. But every so often, Booth could see a vacant, haunted stare in his friend's eyes. Booth thought, _'I should get Bones and Cricket to go out someplace with us.'_ Booth wondered how Jon's relationship with Cricket was going. She seemed to genuinely care about him. And he seems to have completely been taken with her.

* * *

'…_And if I only could _

_I'd make a deal with God _

_And I'd get him to swap our places _

_Be running up that road _

_Be running up that hill _

_Be running up that building…'_

Booth thought ironically, _'What kind of a name for a band is Placebo? Doesn't that mean fake or something like that?'_

Booth saw the cars coming towards him on the road. He didn't pay much attention to them. Cars had been whizzing by in both directions since he started. He looked towards his next landmark. _'About a mile and a half left,'_ he thought. He felt the fatigue starting to work its way into his legs. He looked up and saw the cars had stopped. _'Oh man…this isn't good,'_ he thought. He kept watching as first one car emptied and then the other two. _'Twelve,'_ he thought, _'that's just a bit too many for me.'_ As he got closer he could see no predominate racial makeup of the group. Eight men and four women. He didn't think they were associated with any of the local gangs. _'Wannabe toughs.'_ But their numbers made his situation bad. As he got closer, he could see they were all around 17 to 22, he guessed. Young enough to still feel immortal and old enough to have honed their bullying skills.

Three of the toughs moved to block Booth's way. He slowed, and finally stopped. The group advanced on him. "Before we get started, I just want you all to know I'm a federal agent."

One of the larger men said, "Yeah…and I'm gonna be president some day," he laughed. The rest of the group laughed with him.

'_That's the leader,'_ Booth thought. _'If I can take him down, the rest may fold.'_ Booth started edging back, trying to keep the toughs from surrounding him. He heard a few _'Snicks'_ of switchblade knives opening. Booth could see the glint of the sun off metal. One of the toughs made a lunge towards Booth. Booth sidestepped the lunge to the left and wrapped his left arm around the assailant's neck. His left foot smashed the side of the man's right knee. Screaming, the man dropped the knife. Booth pushed him away. He fell into the dusty earth.

"You're gonna pay for that," the leader said. He pulled a revolver from behind his back.

* * *

"Uh-Oh," Jon said. He saw the group up ahead start to fan out against Booth. He turned to Cricket. "Cricket…in the glove box there is another gun." She leaned down and withdrew the semi-automatic. She pulled the slide back a little and checked the chamber. When I stop, open the door, but don't move away from the car. Use the door as a shield." Cricket released the safety. "Remember what we talked about at the range."

Jon looked in the rearview window. Temperance had already withdrawn her revolver from her bag. She looked in his eyes in the mirror. "When I stop, I'll get out. You do the same. I'll walk forward but leave the door open. You move up and take a position behind this door. The doors are reinforced and should provide some protection from gunfire."

To both of them he said, "If the situation goes to hell, shoot to kill. These guys aren't human. They're rabid animals."

Temperance's voice was steady when she said, "You got it."

Cricket echoed the sentiments, "You betcha."

Jon saw the man make a lunge at Booth, "Shit!" he said.

* * *

"Yo Yo, Billy," one of the toughs said.

A short siren burst through the air. Booth took a quick look behind him and saw the SUV with lights flashing angle towards the group.

Billy, the leader, said, "I see 'em. One guy and two babes." He smiled. We still outnumber them." "Looks like we get ourselves a truck," he laughed.

The SUV pulled to a stop within ten feet of Booth. Three doors opened and Jon, Temperance and Cricket stepped out. Jon moved towards the front of the SUV. Temperance stepped around her door and pointed her revolver through the open window. Cricket pointed her semi-automatic through her open window. Jon moved his hands to his holsters and drew his two weapons. The simultaneous clicks of his safeties stung the air.

"How's it going, Agent Booth?" Jon said.

Booth smiled, "Just out for a run."

"Who are your friends?" Jon tossed his right-hand weapon to Booth. Booth caught it easily. He leveled it at Billy. Booth stood, holding the weapon in his right hand, steadying it with his left.

Booth said, "Think about it Billy…four guns to your one."

Billy countered, still trying to be tough, "Yeah, but two of 'em are held by women."

Jon said, "That's true, asshole. But don't think either of these women can't put one through your eye. And by the way, the guy closest to you? He's just dog nuts. He's a lot better shot than any of us. He'll put one in each eye and two up your nose before you hit the ground."

Temperance hid her astonishment. "It's time for you all to pick up your trash," indicating the one writhing on the ground. "And leave your hardware."

Billy looked from Booth to Cricket to Temperance to Jon. He found no uncertainty in anybody's eyes. He relaxed, and dropped the revolver to the ground. Motioning to two of the men, he nodded towards his injured man. The women and men dropped their knives and moved back to the cars. The two men helped their injured friend into one of the cars. As the cars sped away, the group could hear shouts of various insults directed towards them.

Booth handed the weapon back to Jon, "Profiles in courage," he muttered. He looked at his three friends, "Thanks for stopping by!"

* * *

The group picked up all of the weapons and dropped them in the back of the SUV. "Might want to get these to forensics to see if they've been used in some other adventure those miscreants were involved in," Cricket suggested.

Booth nodded, "Good idea."

Jon shut the back of the SUV and moved towards the driver's door. "What were you doing out here alone Seel?"

"Well, I was getting my run in. I didn't want to run on the treadmill, I wanted to be outside."

"But if you had waited, I could have been out here running with you." Jon continued. "You know a single person in a remote area of town has a bull's-eye on his back."

"Okay…Okay."

Cricket got in the shotgun seat and closed the door. Booth started to move and climb in the back seat. "Whoa…Whoa…Whoa." Jon said. "What do you think you're doing?"

Booth pointed to the back seat. "No, no, no, no, no." Jon shook his head. "That little dance was an interruption of your roadwork…not the end of it."

Temperance started to get in the back. "Bones," Booth said pitifully. "You're not going to keep me company?"

Temperance indicated her shoes, with 2-inch heels. "I would, but I can't run in these!"

Booth stood there, hands imploring someone to keep him company. "What about me being out here alone?"

Don't worry Seel, we'll follow you." Jon got in the truck and started the engine.

Booth, standing alone, put the headphones back in his ears.

'_Well, I'm hot blooded, check it and see_

_I got a fever of a hundred and three_

_Come on baby, do you do more than dance? _

_I'm hot blooded, I'm hot blooded…'_

He started to run again. Jon pulled the truck in behind him and shadowed him all the way to the warehouse.


	32. Promises to Keep

Jon and Booth were at the far end of the warehouse. Temperance saw Jon with his back to the wall throw the baseball towards Booth. Booth caught the ball easily with his left hand. He pulled the ball from the glove and tossed it back to Jon. She started walking towards the two men playing catch. With each catch, the 'pop' of the ball seating deep within the gloves' webbing sounded through the building. Jon's throws generated the louder of the 'pops'. Temperance surmised the velocity of his throws was greater due to Booth's reduced strength in his right arm. Back and forth they threw. She walked up to stand at the same level as Booth. "You guys have been at this for about a half hour now," she said. "How much longer are you going to play catch?"

"Not much longer," Jon said. He looked at Booth. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," he said offhandedly.

Temperance asked Booth, "How come Jon always gets to play with his back to the wall? Isn't he very good at catching the ball?" At that moment, one of Booth's throws went awry and slammed into the wall out of Jon's reach. The ball skidded across the floor. Booth turned and watched it roll the length of the building. "Oh…" she said. Booth bent his arm at the elbow and flexed his fingers. Temperance didn't understand the art of body language, but she could tell Booth had had enough.

Jon looked from Booth to Temperance, "I guess we're done." Booth nodded his head and started walking towards the resting area, head down. He would occasionally touch his upper chest and shoulder with his left hand and rotate his shoulder.

Jon and Temperance followed, slowly. She asked Jon softly, "Is he mad at us? For making him finish the run?"

Jon shook his head, "This is something different." He turned to look at Temperance. She met his gaze. "Look in his eyes." He said, just as softly.

Booth dropped his glove to the side of one of the recliners, and turned and sat down in the soft leather. He looked at the Plasma TV dully. Temperance made a detour to one of the counters and picked up the remote. Jon picked up Booth's glove and placed the two on the equipment shelf. He turned and went to retrieve the ball. Temperance leaned against the back of Booth's chair and held out the remote to Booth. "Do you want to watch some television?" she asked.

Booth raised his right arm and took the remote, "Thanks, Bones," he said. Temperance raised her eyes to the blank screen. But he made no move to turn the set on. She had seen Booth in many stages of emotions, but this was something new to her. She saw pain, but was it physical or mental? He almost seemed resigned. _'Defeated,'_ she thought.

Jon set the baseball on the shelf, inside the pocket of one of the gloves. He turned to Booth, "How's the arm and shoulder, Seel?" Booth shrugged. "You look like you've got some pain." Booth nodded.

Temperance added, "Are your fingers numb?"

Booth nodded again, "Yes," he said.

Jon said, "Come on," he indicated the massage table. "Let's see if I can work the kinks out." Booth nodded. He joylessly stood and walking to the table, raised his tee shirt over his head.

Jon looked at Temperance. _'She looks miserable,'_ he thought. He smiled at her, "Just some pain," he nodded.

Temperance nodded, not believing a word of it. "Yes, a massage will do him good." She paused a moment. "Maybe I should go…"

Jon shook his head, "I'll teach you how to do it." She looked at him, grateful for the excuse to stay. She nodded. "Can you go fill the whirlpool while I get him started?"

"Yes, of course." She went to the other room.

Booth lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. Jon laid a towel over Booth's abdomen. He opened the pour spout of a container of oil and spread a dollop on Booth's chest. Setting the oil back down, he began kneading it into his skin. "You mad at us?" Booth closed his eyes. He shook his head. "What's going on, Seel? You've got a pretty terrific woman trying to figure out what she's done to hurt you." Booth opened his eyes. Jon could see the tears glistening in his eyes. Shaking his head, he opened his mouth as if to speak…and then lay silent. "You always said you would tell me the truth, right?" Booth nodded. "On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is the pain?" Jon pressed into his shoulder.

Booth groaned; through gritted teeth he said, "9"

"Next time I ask you how you're feeling, you tell me the truth." Booth nodded, relaxing as Jon's fingers worked to unravel the muscle fibers, ligaments and nerve tendrils. "Anything else?"

"With everything that happened today, the pain, the mess on the road…" Booth trailed off. Jon waited. "I just started thinking about things."

Jon said, "That's never a good thing."

Booth laughed ruefully. He continued, "I know…but I started thinking…what if this is the best I can get back to?" He paused, Jon knew there was more, "And then I got scared."

"Of what, Seel?"

"Scared I'll never be like I was before…I'd lose my job…I'd lose Bones…"

Jon figured out the most important of his concerns, "The only way you can lose her, is if you don't respect and trust her. You're partners, right?" Booth nodded. "You know that on the street she'll be right beside you…ready to face down anything. As long as she's doing it with you. It's no different in private."

Booth shuddered, willing himself back from the brink of tears. "There's something else…" Jon suddenly realized what this was all about. "Out on the road, with that group of toughs? Until you and Bones and Cricket showed up…I thought I was gone." He looked in Jon's eyes. "I thought I was right back there in that place. I was going to be dragged through the street and thrown into that box again." He closed his eyes. "So afraid…someone else will have to pay the price again."

"You need to talk about it…get all that stuff out of you." Jon said. "Telling it to me hasn't helped. You need to talk to her about it…If you have any hope for a future with her…you need to tell her…soon." Booth nodded. "Tonight, Seel. When you go home. You take her in your arms and you tell her. Promise me."

Booth, nodded. "I promise," he shuddered.

Temperance rounded the corner. She saw Booth face up on the table; Jon stood over him, his hands on Booth's upper chest. Booth was wracked with shudders. She heard a sound emanate from Booth she had never heard before. It almost seemed a whimper. Her heart ached to see him in such pain. She started to move towards him. Jon saw her and looked at her; his gaze pinned her; a butterfly in a display box. He subtly shook his head. He looked back at Booth.

After a few moments, Booth's breathing became regular and his movements settled. Jon said to Temperance, "I thought you had decided to take the whirlpool yourself." He smiled.

Temperance forced a smile and lightness to her voice, "I certainly thought about it."

"Why don't you come over here and I'll show you how to do this?" He looked down at Booth, "I don't think Booth would mind having a beautiful woman's hands on his body."

Booth smiled, "Did you bring a friend, Bones?"

Temperance laughed and smacked his good shoulder. Standing above his head, she reached down and held his head in her hands. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. Both Jon and Temperance noticed Booth visibly relaxed. Jon looked at her and nodded.


	33. Prelude

"Any plans for tonight?" Jon asked.

Temperance nodded. "Booth said he wanted to spend a quiet night at home. So I thought we could stop for takeout Thai food and relax."

Jon nodded, leaning in he said, "He may tell you a story sometime. It will concern something that happened to the two of us," Temperance noted Jon's lack of his usual humor. "Don't get hung up on where or why the incidents happened. Just know that he doesn't embellish or otherwise make things up."

Temperance leaned in as well, nodding, she asked, "Should I ask questions?" Jon looked at her questioningly. "I mean, if I interrupt him to clarify something, will he continue? Or should I wait?"

Jon smiled, "I honestly don't know…you'll have to trust your instincts." Temperance looked at him skeptically. Her instincts at reading people have been abysmal in the past. "And if he asks you to call him by another name, take it as a compliment." Her look changed from one of skepticism to outright confusion. "You'll understand when the time comes."

"What are you two conspirators whispering about now?" Booth said, drying his hair. Temperance and Jon turned and looked at him. After his shower, he had changed into his soft clothes. Tee shirt, jeans and his olive drab lightweight jacket.

Jon said, "Well, with Christmas coming up, we were just trying to figure out what to get you."

Booth looked at him through narrow eyes, "Christmas is more than a few months away."

"That's right," Jon said, "Get your shopping done early. That's my motto." He nodded at Temperance. She looked at Booth, and nodded.

"If you don't want to tell me," Booth said, "Just say, 'It's none of your damn business'."

Temperance and Jon said, in unison, "It's none of your damn business."

Booth cocked his head from side to side, "Okay," he said, exaggerating an excluded tone. He asked Temperance as he turned and threw the towel in the hamper, "Ready?"

She looked at Jon, and then turned back to Booth, "Whenever you are," she said with a smile.

* * *

As it turned out, Booth did not want to get take-out. "Why don't we go to a real restaurant and have a sit-down meal?"

"A 'real' restaurant?" she asked.

"You know," he said, "You go in, a maitre' de tells you it'll be an hour. You slip him a 50-dollar bill, and he seats you right away. The tablecloths and napkins are made of cloth instead of paper. A sommelier comes by and takes your wine order, sniffing in displeasure at your choice. The menu doesn't have prices…"

She looked at him, smiling. "You mean, like a date?"

"Well…maybe not exactly…" he started, taking a quick look at Temperance's disappointed expression, "Yeah," he said more firmly, "Like a date…only it'll be us."

"Do I get to help pick the restaurant?"

He smiled, "If you like."

Temperance said, "Maybe next time." Seeing Booth's dismayed expression, she continued, "If we're going to do it, let's do it right and get dressed up."

The smile returned and lit up his face, "You mean like a prom?"

She shook her head, "I never went to a prom, so I don't know what that means."

"It means," Booth said lightly. "Getting dressed up, going dancing, having a bite to eat and then making out in the back seat of the car."

"Sounds like fun." She said, "Let me know when and I'll make sure I get my hair done."

'_Get her hair done?'_ he thought. _'That doesn't sound like Bones.'_ He said, "That sounds awful girly for you."

She thought, _'Wow...he completely missed my tacit acceptance of making out in the back seat of the car.' _"What?" she said affronted. "You don't think I can be girly and feminine?"

He turned and looked at her admiringly. He nodded, "Yeah…you are." She smiled. After a moment's silence he said, "Temperance," she never noticed it before; she liked the sound of his voice saying her name. He continued, "Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure," she said.

"Tonight…can you not call me 'Booth'?"

Her heart froze, she looked directly at him, "What would you like me to call you?" He turned to her. The word came to her lips easily. She did not know from where. She just knew it was what he wanted to hear. "Seeley." He smiled. She returned the smile, "I thought you didn't like it when somebody called you that. Whenever Cam would…"

Booth interrupted, shaking his head, "She never waited for permission. She just called me that from the start. That's how I knew it wasn't serious."

"And this is?" she asked, her heart beating faster.

"Isn't it?"

"Yes, Seeley…it is." She had to admit, she liked the feel of his name on her lips.

* * *

Seeley pulled the SUV into one of the visitors' stalls at Temperance's apartment building. Temperance looked over to him, "Do you want to come up for awhile?"

Looking into her luminous eyes, "Are you sure it's not a bother?"

She shook her head, "Not at all. I can make some coffee," and then she thought, "If I have some."

Booth smiled, "Even if you don't, I'd like to come up." He turned the ignition off and removed the key. "Wait here a second."

A bit confused, she nodded and began getting her bag and the doggie bags from dinner together. Her door opened; Booth stood there, his hand extended to help her out. She smiled and placed her hand in his.

Walking to her building, through the lengthening shadows, Seeley held the takeout bags in his left hand and her hand in his right.

"Seeley," she said, there was that delicious feeling in her mouth again, "You don't like being called 'Booth'?"

"It's not that," he said. "It's just been so long since I've heard somebody say my first name who has earned the familiarity." He paused, "Somebody who's important to me." He continued, "Isn't it the same for you? Don't you bristle when somebody you don't know well, or has another agenda, calls you 'Temperance'?"

She nodded. Then she smiled and squeezed his hand. "I never minded any time you called me that." Seeley returned her smile.

* * *

The door closed behind them. "Do you want lights or candles?" Temperance asked.

She could see his smile in the gloom, "Candles would be fine." He moved to her kitchen.

Temperance moved the large candle from her bookcase to the coffee table. White light bathed the room as Seeley opened the refrigerator to place inside the leftovers from dinner. She clicked the lighter and a small flame appeared at its end. Seeley closed the refrigerator door. The flame from the lighter cast the room in a dull blue / white glow. She moved the flame closer to the wick. She saw the flame brighten, and then released the trigger on the lighter, leaving only the soft golden glow of the candle flame to illuminate the room. She set the lighter on the table and turned around.

She hadn't heard Seeley move this close to her. She had almost clipped him with her shoulder when she turned. She looked into his face. The flame from the candle had not had time to stabilize and as it writhed, maneuvering itself into its final form, the shadows and light danced in mesmerizing patterns across his face. He gently placed his hands to the sides of her head. Framing her face. He leaned in, pressing his lips to hers, gently but firmly. Electricity exploded from her lips, into her brain, through her torso and out her limbs. He moved his hands from her head, traveling down her arms, tracing down her sides and moving to encircle her. Temperance's arms involuntarily wrapped themselves around his neck, pulling him into her. Her lips parted slightly, inviting him in. His tongue caressed her lips softly, and then retreated. Her calves contracted, raising her body onto her toes, upward, into him. The taste, smell and touch of him blazed inside her. Desire and fear danced within her. And, just as abruptly, the kiss ended. The two stood there in each other's arms, breathing heavily, shuddering as the waves cascaded over them.

Seeley reached up and took Temperance's hands in his. He brought them down to his face. He kissed each, softly.

Dizzily, catching her breath, Temperance whispered, "Why…" She hadn't decided which question she meant; why he had kissed her or why had he stopped?

He spoke softly, "I'm sorry if I surprised you. Or offended you." He continued, "I need to tell you some things. And I just wanted to kiss you once, before I did…in case I never got the chance."

Her heart ached. She couldn't tell him. Not yet…not until he told her what he needed to; that nothing he could say or do would tarnish her love for him. She reached down, still holding Seeley's hand, and picked up her cell phone. She touched the '_Power'_ button and showed him the phone powering down. She led him to her landline telephone, and unplugged it. "I'm here. No interruptions. The universe will have to wait until we're done." She led him back to the living room and picked up the candle. She began leading him down the hallway. When they reached her bedroom, she felt Seeley's reluctance. She turned to him, "Don't worry," she said. "We're not going to…you know. In here, you can tell me anything. It won't go anywhere else. You'll be safe." She could see his eyes glisten with wetness. "I'll protect you."


	34. Seeley's Guilt

**A/N:** Tried a bit of a "stream of consciousness" style for his story.

* * *

He slept. And while he slept, Temperance felt the tension and anxiety creep away from his body. She looked down at his tousled hair and relaxed face resting upon her shoulder. His breathing, slow and even, belied the shuddering sobs she had tried to console away just a few hours ago. Had she succeeded, she wondered? Feeling his body nestled in her embrace told her she had erased his pain. At least for a little while. She was surprised Seeley had opened up to her. Especially to the extent he had. She loved him. He didn't know it yet. At least she had not been able to tell him yet. Last night was his. He needed to know he could trust her. Just as she trusted him with her most prized possession; her heart.

Her eyes looked around the room. The candle on her dresser was half its original size. She could see blue creeping into the darkened sky outside her window. Placing her hand on the back of his head, she kissed his forehead softly.

* * *

They lay together on Temperance's bed. Seeley on his back, Temperance nestled in the crook of his right shoulder. She was concerned about the pressure her head would put on his shoulder. She was surprised when Seeley assured her it would be all right. That her nestling on his right side was more comfortable for him. She never knew that men had snuggling preferences. The candle danced and jumped in the air currents made by her air conditioner. She looked up and saw him staring down at her. His expression; like a man knowing he's going blind. He studied her, drinking in all the lines, curves and colors. As though he could file the image away for all time. He smiled, and kissed her forehead.

"I don't know how much Jon has told you about my background…" he started.

She shook her head, "Not much," she lied. She wanted Seeley to tell his story…his way.

"I guess I'll start at the beginning, then."

* * *

"I told you that I grew up in Philadelphia. I had pretty much the same childhood as most other kids. Not like you, of course. But nothing really out of the ordinary. In high school is where everything seemed to explode for me. I was the fair-haired boy. The Golden Boy. I was an athlete. Played football, basketball and baseball. Honors student. Voted Prom King, Most Likely to Succeed. All that stuff. My best sport was basketball…but it wasn't my favorite. I loved baseball. I wanted to play third base for the Pirates. Everybody in my neighborhood lived and died with the Phillies, but my favorite team was the Pirates. My dad would come to every game. He would close the shop early on game days just so he could see me play. Mom came when she could. I could do no wrong. I didn't like basketball so much. I had to work at liking it. I took it all for granted. Didn't take the SATs too seriously. All the academic scholarships we thought were in the bag? Dried up after I got my scores. I'll never forget the look of disappointment on their faces. They didn't yell or scream…or hit. They just said, 'I'm very disappointed, Seeley'. So, along comes Temple University with an offer of a free ride basketball scholarship if I re-take the SATs and get an acceptable score. I stopped playing baseball and football my junior year…to concentrate on what would get me into college. My dad was so proud when I showed him the acceptance letter and scholarship grant. I never wanted to see that disappointed look on his face again."

"So, I start to attend Temple. No clue what course of study to major or minor. But I was in college. Just getting the basic, core requirements out of the way. My freshman year on the team wasn't anything special. After all, I wasn't going to go on to the NBA. But the next year I was going to be number two on the depth chart. So, I was progressing anyway. During summer break, a couple of buddies and I decided to go out one night. Drinking. Went bar hopping for a while. Picked up some girls in one bar and they suggested a bar further out on the outskirts of town. Kevin drove…with Powder in the front. That wasn't his real name. We called him powder because one time he had a rash…you know, down there. And he had to use this medicated powder. Anyway, I'm in back with Steve. We've all got girls sitting on our laps. No seat belts. Mary Jo…pretty little blonde, hair pulled back in a ponytail. We had no business being out on the road. We were on 95, going south, out by the airport. I don't know what happened…all I know is that we're rolling. I can hear the metal crumpling, girls screaming, guys yelling. I heard Mary Jo screaming, and then she just stopped. We were like rag dolls in a Mixmaster. When we finally stopped, on the car's top, it was dead quiet. I crawled out of the car. Steve and his girl had been thrown out of the car; about halfway up on the embankment. They looked like dolls some angry child had thrown away. I looked back in the car and started to pull Mary Jo out. I knew she was dead. A live person's head doesn't look in the direction hers did. Powder and his girl made it halfway out the windshield and then were stuck there, when we rolled down the hill. Kevin never made it from behind the steering wheel. Oddly enough, the girl he picked up, was cushioned by Kevin, Powder and the other girl. She was lying in the front seat. All that happened to her was a broken arm. Me? I walked away with a broken left arm and left shoulder separation. My dad was livid. Which was kind of ironic since he was an alcoholic. He wasn't an angry drunk. He didn't hit or otherwise abuse us. Just the opposite…he was a happy drunk. I never knew what turned him into an alcoholic, past genetics, until after he was gone. Anyway, he made me move back from the dorms, into the house. Where he could keep an eye on me. He never really said it, but I could see that disappointment in his eyes."

"Mom was sick all that year. I didn't know what the problem was. And they weren't telling me. She and Dad did their best to rehab me. But when the season started, I just couldn't perform and be an asset to the team. The university used the fact the accident wasn't school-related to revoke my scholarship. I could use my arm. Just not to the level that a big-time college sports team needed. I've got to admit; not being able to put the ball through the hole probably had something to do with it. So there I am: 19, no job, no scholarship, no prospects, living at home. And every time I see my father's face, all I can see is the disappointment. It wasn't really there, but I thought it was. Then I hit on it. I would join the service. Have them help me pay for college. Good idea, right? Not for my dad. He didn't want me to have anything to do with the military. I found out later that it wasn't because he didn't like the military. He didn't become a pacifist or anything like that. He just wanted his son not to have to kill, the way he did. Kind of a premonition he had. The way things turned out, I guess he was right."

"Mom died December 4th, of that year. Breast cancer. I came home from the funeral home a couple of days later and found Dad slumped in his recliner. A photo of Mom and him together laid on his chest…a half-empty bottle of Wild Turkey sat on the TV tray table. The Doctors said it was due to his cirrhosis."

"I think he just gave up. He died of a broken heart. The woman he loved…the love of his life was gone. _I_ certainly wasn't listening to him. He saw his life falling apart…and he couldn't do anything about it."

* * *

Seeley was quiet for a couple of minutes. Temperance resisted the temptation to say something comforting. She wasn't here for that. Tonight, she wasn't here to solve any problems. She was here to listen. She was here to share his burdens so they no longer had any power over him. So they didn't consume him.

He shuddered, and then continued:

* * *

"So, I joined the Army. During boot camp, I showed a talent for shooting, so they assigned me to the Rangers and send me to sniper school. I got good. I got real good. I finished at the top of my class. So here I am, showing up back with the Rangers, feeling cocky and on top of the world. Hey…why not? I'm the best marksman in my class, by a long shot. And then I meet Sergeant Smith. You ever see those movies with the raw recruit, or the cocky new guy and the tough-as-nails drill sergeant, but he turns out to have a soft spot for the guy and teaches him all these life lessons? Of course you don't, you don't watch those kinds of movies. But anyway, that doesn't happen in real life. Sergeant Smith rode my ass the entire time I was in training. But then again, he was that way with everyone. I was miserable. At one point, I was going to quit. The only reason I didn't was because I didn't have anyplace else to go. No…I lied. I didn't because I didn't want my father to be disappointed in me again. Yeah…I know. He was dead. But I thought he could still see me, somewhere. He had always told me that once I make a decision, I had to live with the consequences. Those were the consequences. I had to make it. It was my last chance."

"I don't know who was more surprised when I completed training. Sergeant Smith or me. I just thought to myself, 'Whew, I'm glad that's over with. Now I'll never have to see his ugly face again.' And I never did, until I was assigned to an elite unit in Special Forces. Yeah…take a good goddamn guess who was also assigned. The first day I was there, he came up to me and congratulated me. It was the first time I saw something other than disdain in his eyes. He respected me. Not because I was anything special, or he liked me, or anything like that. Because I had finished what I started. He bought me a beer; we talked through the night and we've been friends ever since. He taught me a lot about stalking, covert movement, helped refine my shooting technique. I guess he was kind of a surrogate father for me. He would invite me over to spend time with his family. His wife Catherine and his two girls Faith and Hope. Catherine used to kid him that all they needed was another girl and they would be complete. Faith, Hope and Charity. I think he kind of wished the next one would be a son, if they had one."

"He would still push me to better myself, though. He would ask me if I planned on being a sniper all my life. I would tell him I didn't know. He suggested I take some coursework during our down times. At first, I resisted. I was still young and full of piss and vinegar. That's when I started gambling. Small things at first. A bet on a football game. A game of poker here and there. Then it just kind of snowballed. Have you ever heard the term, 'Lucky in Cards, Unlucky in Love'? Well, I was unlucky in both areas. It wasn't long before I owed money to some very unsavory people. I would look forward to my assignments because I would be out of the country, and they couldn't find me. Jon and I were partnered up for most of the missions. Usually there's a primary and a secondary for the missions. It would increase the chances for success. Anyway, one time when we were back in the States, we went out to a bar. A couple of guys came to collect some money I owed. When Jon found out, I looked in his eyes and saw the same disappointment I saw in my father's eyes. He stepped back and let them beat me up for awhile. Then he stepped in and put a gun in one of each of their eyes. He told them to tell their boss that he would pay my debt the next day. And that he was to never extend credit to me again. Or Jon would come looking for him instead of me. While patching me up, he got the whole story out of me. How deep was I in, who I owed, how much. He looked me in the eyes and said, 'I'll help you get out of this mess. But it'll cost you.' What was I going to say? Of course, I agreed, even before he laid out the conditions. He would pay off my debts and I would have to take college courses in my off time."

"And so it went, us going on missions. The Armed Services used to have a slogan, 'Join the Army,' or some other branch, 'and see the world.' I saw the world all right. Every hellhole and hideout from Guatemala to Bankok with stops at Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and a lot of other places I can't tell you about. And during down times, studying. Jon would see me just hanging out, and he'd say, 'How's that class on Victims in Society coming?' or 'How's that Introduction to Logic course working for you?' Even after he left I kept on with my studies."

* * *

Seeley took a deep breath. _'Preparing himself?'_ Temperance thought. Is this where he lays his soul bare?' She steeled herself, _'No matter what he says, I Love him. I'm not going to desert him. Please,'_ she prayed, although she didn't know to whom, _'He has to know that.'_

Seeley cleared his throat,

* * *

"This one time, we were actually based in a combat zone overseas. I can't tell you which one. You'll understand later. Anyway, we had been there about three months and Jon decided to go home for about two weeks. There didn't seem to be anything coming up, mission-wise, so our OIC let him go. Shortly after he left, an urgent mission came down. It was going to be close to the border. On the other side of it, that is. For political and security reasons I can't tell you the country. Anyway, they assigned it to Mark, another sniper. I was the secondary. We made our preparations and was assigned a helo to get us to our insertion point. Once the helo dusted off, we made our way to the target. On the day of the hit, I was in position, waiting for Mark's communication that he was in place. It never came. I heard a sound behind me; saw one of their army regulars. He had his rifle raised, it came down and then all I saw was blackness."

"When I woke, my hands were tied in front of me. I was barefoot, and my upper front four teeth were missing. These are all implants. I was being jostled in the back of a truck. I could see that we were on the outskirts of a town. But it didn't look like the one our supposed target was in. The truck started to slow down. I felt hands on my body, lifting me. Then I felt a momentary sensation of weightlessness before hitting the ground, hard. I was being dragged behind the slow-moving truck by a rope attached to my restraints. There were people, shouting something, I don't know what, it sounded Arabic or some other Middle Eastern language. I could feel myself being hit. Not by hands, but by something stiffer. Not pipes or bats or something like that. I caught glimpses of people's hands, holding shoes! The townspeople were hitting me with their shoes. You know, you don't think somebody using a shoe to beat you up would be effective. But when you get a small town doing it, it can take its toll. I found out later that hitting someone with your shoe is a sign of disrespect. The gauntlet finally stopped, and I could see armed men push the crowd back. My arms felt like they had both been pulled from their sockets. I had abrasions, cuts and scrapes from being dragged. I couldn't get up. A man pulled out a knife. I thought that was going to be it for me. But instead, he cut the rope. A few of the others stood me up and pushed me into a small shanty. They closed the door and I heard the click of a padlock. A little bit of sunlight found its way inside a shuttered window. It was hot, musty, smelled of piss and shit. Dried blood spattered the walls. I figured, well I'm still alive. Maybe they were going to use me as trade bait, you know? Me for some of their imprisoned brethren. I thought I would be there a couple of days and then the Government would make some kind of trade and I'd be out of there. Or maybe there would be a rescue mission. They knew where I was going, right? It wasn't till later on that day, after their first 'interrogation' session that I realized none of that was going to happen. I was in a country I wasn't supposed to be in. The Government couldn't admit it had sent someone in to assassinate somebody. And then I knew; they weren't going to send anybody to get me."

"It went like that for I don't know how long. I lost all track of time. I'd sleep, they'd drag me out, beat me and then throw me back into my cell. All without asking me a single question. I had been trained to resist giving information under torture. But they didn't want information. All they did was laugh and hit. Sometimes with their bare hands, sometimes with implements. The worst was when they broke my feet. Multiple fractures in both feet. I couldn't stand or walk. They would step on my hands and grind their heels. I prayed to God to let me die."

"One night, I heard a voice, in English from the window. It spoke in a low voice. 'Tomorrow is the day you die.' It said. 'We will cut you into pieces and feed them to our dogs.' Evidently, they think dogs are unclean. So, I guess that would be an especially horrendous end to me. To be honest, the cutting into little pieces worried me more. Every night they did this. One night was different. Instead of the voice, I heard a scuffle from outside. And then I heard the padlock being fiddled with. The door opened, letting in the moonlight. I couldn't move to hide. All I could do was sit there waiting for what was to come. A figure stood in the doorway and pointed a weapon at me. He said, 'US Army Ranger.' I cried. For the first time in my life, I cried. Not the little tears rolling down the cheeks. I mean the big, shuddering sobs that wrack the whole body. The figure rushed over to me, 'Seel,' he said, 'Is that you?' It was Jon. He had come for me. Through the tears I choked, that it was me. He tried to get me to stand, but the pain was too much. He looked at my feet, saw they were useless, pulled something out of his fatigue pockets, and stuck me with it. The pain was still there. But for some reason it didn't seem to bother me. He picked me up, Fireman's Carry style and carried me through the door. He's small, but his legs are like pistons. The desert night air felt cool on my skin."

"I was in and out the rest of the trip home. Jon could probably tell you more about what happened. We slept, hidden, during the day and traveled at night. I remember him telling me, 'Remember, if you ever find yourself in unfamiliar territory, get someplace where you can find the stars. If you can see the stars, you can find your way home.' Even then, he was still teaching me. He taught me how to find Polaris, the North Star, so I can always find my bearings. He kept talking to me. Teaching me about the stars. One time, he sang this children's song he and Catherine had taught the girls.

'_I love the mountains, I love the rolling hills, _

_I love the fountains, I love the daffodils, _

_I love the firesides, when the lights are low, _

_Boom di yada Boom di yada Boom di yada Boon di yae' _

"One night we stopped. After setting me down, Jon checked his GPS tracker, and then pulled out a radio. I still remember what he said,

'Goosey Goosey Gander this is Bo Peep, over'

Then from the radio, 'Bo Peep, this is Goosey Goosey Gander, did you find your sheep, over?'

And then Jon, 'Roger Goosey Goosey.' And then he told them our coordinates. 'Be advised, Goosey Goosey, the sheep will need to be sheared, over.'

'Roger Bo Peep, they'll be standing by, over.'

'Goosey, Goosey, what's your ETA, over'

'15 minutes, Bo Peep, over.'

Then Jon ended the transmission, 'See my red smoke in 13 minutes, over and out.' 'Goosey Goosey to Bo Peep, roger will look for red smoke, out.'

Jon checked his watch. He came over to me, 'How are you doing?' I smiled and said, 'Star light, Star Bright.' He laughed."

"Jon lit the red flare, and right on time the helicopter came in and picked us up. We had had to get back across the border before a helo could be sent to pick us up. When we got back to the camp, all three of them, Jon, Jim the pilot and Bob the crew chief got into tons of trouble. But I'll never forget them. And what they did for me."

* * *

Temperance said, "I'll never forget them." She had a sneaking suspicion that there was more. She wanted to make sure Seeley knew he could count on her.

Seeley was quiet for a few moments. Then he continued,

* * *

"The medics met the helicopter and rushed me to the hospital tent. They stabilized me and prepped me for transfer to Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany. The CO of the base stopped in and expressed his relief that I had been found and returned. I asked to see Jon, so I could thank him. I noticed the CO and Jon's and my OIC exchanged looks. I knew something was up. Jon was probably in trouble for coming to get me. And the other guys were in trouble for helping him. I tried to make a case for Jon, but they said that Jon would be unavailable for awhile. I asked why?"

Booth swallowed hard. He sat up, cross-legged. Temperance sat up and knelt in front of him, her hand still outstretched, palm on his chest. "Our OIC put his hand on my chest…almost where your hand is now, and he told me the day after he left to find me, Jon's family, Catherine, Faith and Hope had been killed in a drive-by shooting at a gas station back in the States." Booth's voice faltered. Temperance watched in agony; tears rolling down her cheeks. His throat muscles worked spasmodically, stifling a choke. His eyes filled with tears. He looked at her, tears wetting his cheeks, "I didn't pull the triggers, but if he hadn't come for me, they'd still be alive. They would have been somewhere else that day." Temperance moved and took Seeley fully in her arms. She sat on his legs, her legs wrapped around him. She pulled him into her; hugged him harder than she ever had before. His body trembled as he buried his head against Temperance's chest, "I killed my best friend's family."


	35. Cricket's Guilt

**A / N:** My apologies for the extended time between chapters. Sometimes real life (such as work and illness) takes precedence. Plus, the last chapter took a lot out of me. So I needed to recharge. Hope you continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

"Hey Dad…When are you going to shave?"

Jon looked at Jules. "Why are you concerned? It's not like I'm gong to be kissing _you_ anytime soon."

"I'm not worried about that…From what I hear, you're not kissing anybody anyway," she rejoined, smiling. "Soon or otherwise."

Murmurs of "Ahhh…" and "Ohhh…" rose from the others at the table. "Just because I'm an old 'fuddy duddy' and don't give my kisses away to just anybody who walks by…"

"Anybody who walks by?" Jules admonished. "She's been waiting for you to kiss her for a month now! What are you waiting for?"

Jon looked around the table, Chaz was busy studying his drink; Tom found something genuinely interesting on the ceiling; the only eyes looking at him were Jules' and Tams'; they were of a mind that he and Cricket should have jumped each other long ago. He honestly didn't know how to explain to them that, in spite of outward appearances, he was a genuinely shy person. He thought back, _'Yup…both of my wives were the ones who initiated our first kiss.'_ The kids couldn't understand the significance he placed on such intimacies. He glanced up at the bar where she was buying another round. In all honesty, he had wanted to kiss her the first night they had met. But every time he was with her and started to think about it, he was right back to that gawky, awkward kid in high school. And of course, that meant he chickened out. "I just…" he started, "I'm just looking for the right time." He looked at the two girls, "I want it to be special."

Jules and Tams said in unison, "Aww…" Jon caught the sarcasm immediately. Tams said, "If you don't get a move on you're going to 'special' yourself to the curb."

Jon nodded his head in silent agreement. If he was such an expert in relationships, like with Seel and Temperance, how come his own love life was so stilted?

Cricket arrived with the drinks. She doled them out to the others and then laughingly held Jon's just out of his reach. He looked in her eyes and saw what the old folks would call a "come hither" look. He stood up and moved towards her, encircling her waist with his arm. With his other hand he reached out for the drink. She passed it to him, still looking into his eyes. He was acutely aware of her hip pressing between his legs. Slightly embarrassed, he coughed and said, "Thank you," with a smile. He took a sip and then guided her to her chair beside him. He didn't see Jules' and Tams' expressions of exasperations.

"You know what we ought to do, one of these nights?" Tams said excitedly. Everyone at the table looked at her. "We should play 'Spin the Bottle.'"

Tom and Chaz groaned. Jules poked Chaz with her elbow, "That's a great idea," she said. "I haven't played that _since I was in Junior High_."

Cricket smiled, knowing full well what her friends were trying to do. She placed her hand on Jon's thigh. "When's the last time you played 'Spin the Bottle'?"

"Ah…" he started. "In all honesty, I've never played it." The group looked at him incredulously. Slightly embarrassed, he said, "Honest…I've seen people playing it, but I don't know. Kissing always seemed to me to be something special. Not something to be given away as a prize in a game."

Cricket rubbed his leg, "Good for you," she smiled. He looked in her eyes and saw no trace of irony. No cynicism. He returned the smile.

Jon coughed, "Can we get back to what we all found out?"

The group nodded and set back to their previous discussion. Jon continued, "From my contacts in Florida, he's been seen in the company of an Eduardo Torres. They think he provides transportation for Torres from Florida up to the DC area on a regular basis. I had Tom and Chaz do some digging."

Tom nodded, "I ran a check on this guy. Originally from El Salvador. He's a known trafficker of drugs, primarily cocaine and heroin. It comes in from Honduras; word is that he may have some Honduran officials on the payroll. Then it goes through his distribution network in Florida."

Chaz added, "I talked with our narcotics team and they think he's looking to open supply lines into the DC area and further up the East coast."

Tom continued, "He's also heavily into prostitution and gambling in Florida. His crew has been implicated in at least eighteen drug-related murders. But we haven't been able to come up with anything solid." He looked at everybody at the table. "He's a real bad guy."

Jon nodded, "Anything tying Sully to any of the pickups or deliveries?"

Both Chaz and Tom shook their heads. Chaz said, "From what I can tell, he's his driver, basically. Takes him up and down the coast. It looks like he specifically keeps him away from any of the deals. Maybe he just doesn't trust him yet. Or, it's possible that Torres is keeping him close in case he can use him for information-gathering from his sources still at the bureau."

"So, Sully's hands are clean. Or at least as clean as they can be, transporting a known drug trafficker," Jon said. "That's a good thing, at least." The group looked at him. He continued, "Look, I don't' wish bad things on anybody. Granted the guy's a grade-A jerk. But at one time, he was a friend of Booth's. And whether I like him or not, he was a friend of mine's kind of significant other." He said, "It would be a shame to have to taint their fond memories. If he's just being a jerk…I can live with that."

Chaz shrugged. The rest of the group eased back in their chairs and considered what he had said. He turned to Cricket. He could see her eyes shimmer with wetness. She leaned into him, "I need tell you something."

A breeze rolled through the bar, informing everyone of the arrival of more patrons. The group turned and saw two familiar figures enter through the opened door.

Cricket turned away from the doorway, "Shit," she spat as Sully and Dora sauntered into the bar.

* * *

Sully seemed to scan the entire room before his eyes rested on Cricket and Jon. "Ohhh…look at the nerd posse," indicating the other four. Turning to Jon and Cricket, "Well…what do we have here?" he laughed. "I guess you and Booth are cut from the same cloth." Jon looked at him uncomprehendingly. "Both of you swooping in on women I'm done with."

Jon's head swiveled towards Cricket. It seemed to him like he was seeing things in slow motion. Cricket looked miserable. A mixture of shame and dejection on her face. She slid her hand from Jon's thigh and placed it in her own lap.

"Don't get me wrong," Sully said, "She was probably in my top five." He laughed as he and Dora started moving towards the game room.

Jon stood up…and was promptly surrounded by Chaz, Tom, Jules and Tams. Hands, he didn't know whose, eased him around and directed him back into his chair. When they were sure he wouldn't bolt towards Sully, the four returned to their seats, ready to intervene again, if necessary. Jon looked at Cricket, head bowed, shivering, tear droplets splattering slowly, one after another on the table. The bar was unearthly quiet. Jon thought, _'Is it really this quiet? Or have my senses just focused so finely everything has been relegated to background?'_ He leaned into her. "I'll be right back." He stood. Chaz and Tom began to rise as well. He caught their eyes. "I'll be alright," he assured them.

They watched as Jon moved around the table onto the dance floor. Most of the rest of the customers held their breath as they tracked Jon moving across the dance floor. He caught Mike's attention. He made a twisting motion with his hand and pointed to the jukebox. Mike nodded and moved to the volume control. Jon fed the jukebox its snack and, without looking for the code numbers, from memory punched in the song he wanted to play. He turned back to the table. Halfway across the dance floor his selection began playing; "Love Is" by Brian McKnight and Vanessa Williams. Cricket looked up, eyes awash, and saw him beckoning to her, hands imploring her to come to him. She rose as Vanessa's voice rolled, through the room, _"They say it's a river, that circles the Earth…"_ She reached his outstretched hands, and placed hers within his. "Would you like to dance?" he said. She answered with a nod. He brought her into arms, _"A beam of light shinin' to the edge of the universe…"_ They began gently moving in time with the music.

Jules and Tams wiped away tears. Chaz and Tom smiled and watched the two lovers lose themselves in each other. Other patrons resumed their discussions, many women and not a few men living vicariously through the couple on the dance floor.

It would have been perfect…if halfway through the song Sully hadn't tapped Jon on the shoulder, "Mind if I cut in?"

One look at Cricket told Jon all he needed to know. He turned to Sully, "Actually, yes I do…" He spotted Dora at the entrance to the game room. "Don't you have something else to get back to?" He turned back to Cricket.

Sully grabbed Jon's shoulder tighter. Too late, he realized his mistake. Jon twisted his left arm up and around Sully's arm, breaking the grip Sully had on his shoulder. Normally, Jon would have just backed away giving his opponent a way to avoid the confrontation. But this had been building. And while he was willing to give Sully a pass on what he had done in Seel's and Temperance's relationship, they were adults and could deal with it themselves, this was _his_ relationship he was fucking with. He had hurt Cricket. She would tell him how, and what he had done some other time. He was going to pay. Here…now. With his left hand Jon grabbed Sully's right hand at the wrist and applied pressure. Sully's eyes grew wide as pain shot up his arm. He tried to twist his arm out of Jon's grip, but it was as if someone had jammed his hand and wrist into a vise. Jon exerted more force and Sully dropped to his knees. The pain was radiating up into his face now.

Jon looked him in the eyes, "Do you know how many bones are in the human hand?"

"What?" Sully said through a grimace.

"Do you know how many bones are in the human hand?"

"No!" he yelled.

Calmly, Jon said, "Twenty- Seven, if you include the wrist. Which I would, since that is where I'm applying the most pressure."

"Okay!" through clenched teeth.

"And the interesting thing about that is, each one can be broken," he applied more pressure. Sully yelped. "I want you gone. You don't come in here again. You see Cricket on the street; you cross to the other side. You see any of my 'nerd posse' you turn and look somewhere else. You see Temperance or Booth; you turn around and walk away. You got it?" Sully nodded emphatically. Jon applied more force and a loud _'Pop'_ could be heard. Almost like a knuckle cracking, except much louder. Sully's face drained of color. Jon threw his hand away.

He turned around…Cricket was gone. His gaze zeroed in on his protégés. As one, they pointed to the door. He moved to the door briskly.

* * *

Outside the bar, he quickly looked from right to left. He saw her standing by the "No Parking" sign. She stood there, arms crossed, looking towards the ground. He walked up to her slowly. "Penney for your thoughts," he said.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"Well, I _was_ hoping for a 49 year old virgin…" he started.

She hit him in the shoulder with an open hand, "Stop it!" she smiled, "Stop saying things to make me laugh."

"Why? Don't you like to have fun?"

"Yes," she moaned, almost whining, "But this is serious stuff."

"Is it?" he asked. "Look…we've both got pasts. Do you think I've never made love before?"

"No…I mean yes…Oh, I don't' know what I mean," she said exasperatedly. "I should have told you."

Jon shook his head, "No, not really," she looked at him confused. "I mean, it's not like were going to have any dealings with him other than what we've had." He put his hand under her chin and raised her face to him. He could still see the guilt and shame in her eyes. He smiled, "It's not like he was going to come out on the boat with us…or have a barbeque." She smiled and blinked away the rest of her tears. He continued, shaking his head, "But you're going to have to tell me some time what it was about him that made at least two very independent, smart, beautiful women fall for him. 'Cause I just don't get it."

Dora and Sully came through the door. When Sully saw him, belligerence filled his face, "This isn't over!" he yelled at Jon. Dora led him away.

Jon looked incredulous. He looked back at Cricket. She said, "When you said two women, you meant…" she pointed to Dora.

"You and Temperance," Jon said.

"Really?" Cricket said, this time it was her turn to be incredulous. Jon shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, as though uncomprehending the subject.

He took her in his arms. She stood there, her arms bent in front of her, resting on his chest, his arms encircling her waist. "You know," he said. "We had a verbal contract...You still owe me half a dance."

She smiled up at him, "What are you going to do? Sue me?"

He nodded his head, "If I have to." After a moment, "Perhaps we can work out a settlement."

"What did you have in mind as just compensation?"

"Doesn't have to be payment in kind. We could work out a settlement using non-conventional compensation."

"Like what?"

He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. She inhaled deeply, pressing her lips more intensely into his. Her arms wrapped around his neck. He pulled her deeper into him.

When they broke the kiss, she looked up to him. "You know, I think you're the one who broke the contract when you went after him. I may just have to counter-sue," and pressed her lips to his.


	36. Morning Has Broken

Temperance opened her eyes. Looking around, she could see it was full daylight now. She looked towards her clock. _'9:07'_ Seeley still lay quietly in her arms. As gently and quietly as she could, she extricated herself from his embrace. Standing next to the bed, looking down at him, she thought how silly he was thinking she would somehow think less of him for what he had done. Even though he couldn't, or wouldn't admit it to himself, he had not been responsible for the deaths of Jon's family so long ago. Sam Cullen had told her she had not been responsible for Pam shooting Seeley. Even though he had stood up to shield her from Pam's bullet, she was not responsible. Pam was. The same was true for Seeley. Those gang members were the ones responsible. Not him. Now if she could just figure out a way to convince him. She softly padded to the door and quietly exited the room, softly closing the door on her way out.

Once in her living room, she plugged her landline phone back in. Picking up the receiver, she hit speed dial #2 and waited for the connection. At the sound of the connection, a woman's voice came over the line, "Jeffersonian Institute, Doctor Saroyan speaking."

Temperance said in a low voice, "Hello Cam? It's Temperance."

Cam's voice lightened with relief, "Dr Brennan? Thank God! Is everything okay? We've been trying to contact you."

Confused, Temperance said, "Everything's fine here. Is everything all right there?"

"Yes…it's just that nobody had heard from you or Booth and we couldn't get an answer on either of your cell phones or home phones."

"Booth is here with me," Temperance started, "He was having some…problems last night and I thought it would be better if I stayed with him."

"He's okay, though?"

The door to her bedroom opened. Temperance's and Seeley's eyes met. "I think he's all right for now." Seeley moved into her bathroom and closed the door. "I'd like to stay with him a bit longer today, if that's all right."

Cam responded, "Take as much time as you need. Oh…Jon has been trying to reach you also. You might want to give him a call. I think it concerns the case."

"Okay, Cam," Temperance said. "Thanks for everything."

"No problem." The two ended the call. Temperance could hear running water in the bathroom. She dialed Jon's cell phone by memory.

"Jon Smith," came the voice on the other end.

"Hi Jon, it's Temperance."

"Hi Temperance! Did everything work its way out last night?"

"I think we got a lot accomplished. There still may be more work to get done." She responded.

"Good…don't let him try to obfuscate," Jon said.

She smiled, "Yes sir…Cam said you had something about the case?"

"Yes…Chaz found out that all three of the victims had been seen at the same shelter in the past month and a half. We sent some people down there to question the staff and we got some leads." Temperance heard Seeley exit the bathroom. He appeared from the hallway and moved towards her kitchen. _'Is he embarrassed?'_ she thought. Jon continued, "I'm going to follow up on some of them today. If you're going to stay home with Seeley, I can handle this by myself and some of my special friends."

Seeley got two glasses from her cupboard. He filled them both about halfway with water from Temperance's refrigerator. "That would be fine," Temperance turned her attention back to the phone. "I'll talk to you later about it." Then, just before he hung up she said, "Jon? Thank you."

She could hear his embarrassment, "I'd do it again, you know."

She smiled, "Yes," and then hung up. She looked at Seeley. He walked over to her and offered one of the glasses. "How do you feel?" she asked. And then, "Thanks," as she took a drink of the water.

Seeley smiled, "Better…not 100 per cent, but better."

Temperance nodded, "It may take awhile, but we can get you there. Don't you think?"

Seeley nodded. He reached down and took her hand, pulling her up to stand. He started walking towards Temperance's bedroom. She said, "Wait." He turned to her. She let his hand go and turned to her phone. After she unplugged it, she turned to him and placed her hand back in his, allowing him to lead her. He didn't see her smile as she tagged along with him into her room.

* * *

"I was in Landstuhl for about two weeks and then they shipped me to Walter Reed. They gave me a plate for my front teeth. I didn't get the implants until I was out of the Army and working for the Bureau. It was tough, healing up from that. Doing PT every day. Unable to even put weight on my feet until three months had passed. And then, doing aerobic exercise was painful. It still is. That's why I was outside running the other day. I just wanted to get it over with. The worst part was I never saw Jon again until he was out of the Army. After taking care of the arrangements for Catherine and the girls, they kept him overseas. I guess out of easy access to the media. He would send me letters. Encouraging me. Pushing me to continue my studies, even while I was rehabbing. And it kind of made sense. I mean, after all, what else was I going to do when I wasn't doing PT? I found out later that they had forced him out. They busted him down to private, and then _'suggested'_ he put in retirement papers. He had over 20 years in, so that's what he did. But he made a deal with them. He promised he wouldn't go to the press if they left Jim and Bob alone. They could justify it as they were following orders. Even then, he was looking out for his friends. You know, he should have gotten the DSC for coming to get me. But because it happened on the wrong side of a line on a map, he was disgraced."

"I never told him I was sorry for what happened to Catherine and the girls. I wanted to tell him in person, you know? They wouldn't even let him come up to the hospital to see me when they were separating him. He had to wait until he was completely out of the Army and then came up just like any other civilian visitor. He came up, and I completely broke down. Kind of like last night. He told me he didn't blame me. And I guess he still doesn't. But I…I still can't help thinking about it."

"Once I was back in shape, I was sent back to my unit. We never did find out what happened to Mark. I think then is when I started to really close myself off. I didn't care what the mission was. Didn't think about who the target was. I just wanted to get in, do the job, and then get out. You know how my file says I've got over 50 registered kills? There's something about that number that most people don't think about. That's just the number of targets successfully killed. That doesn't include any other people it was necessary to eliminate either on the way in or back out. I used to keep track. You know? A total number of people killed. Just before my last mission in Kosovo…the one I told you about? I realized I didn't know how many there were. I knew at one time it was above 75. But then, I just lost track. And then that mess in Kosovo, with the little boy. I just couldn't do it anymore. My dad had killed from long distance. Without the victims knowing who he was…seeing his eyes. It destroyed him. I finally realized it was doing the same to me."

"I came back and told them I wasn't going to do it anymore. They tried to force me to go out, but I stood my ground. They could kick me out if they wanted. By that time, I had gotten my Bachelor's. I had already accomplished what I had set out to do. Word got out that I had lost my nerve.. Buddies who would talk to me, laugh with me, drink with me…all of a sudden I was a pariah. An outcast. I didn't care. In my mind, I was a monster. Over 75 people killed. Maybe a lot more. I didn't deserve to be happy. You know, I was an altar boy, growing up in Philadelphia. Killing was a mortal sin. Added to that, I had committed two of the deadly sins. I was Greedy when I gambled, and I was guilty of Pride when I strove to be the best sniper in the Army. I was going to hell. The only question was when."

"Then I was cut loose. The Army discharged me. Unlike Jon, I got to keep my rank and medals and all those flourishes. Just kind of wandered aimlessly for awhile. I had a pretty good bank account then. The Army had paid for everything…meals, housing. They gave me bonuses to reenlist…prior to my mini-rebellion. All that money went into a bank account."

"Jon and I had kept in touch by letters and a few phone calls here and there. By then he had made it to Special Agent. He suggested I come work for the Bureau. I just saw it as another arm of the Government. I didn't want any part of it. So, I was just kind of beginning to spiral down. Although I didn't know it at the time. I fell into a bad crowd. Drinking , gambling, no drugs though. I don't know how I missed that one. The thing about having drinking buddies, especially when you've got money, is they're only your buddies when you're drinking and buying the drinks. If you're broke, they're nowhere around…to buy _you_ drinks. I ended up in Vegas. A broke, drunk gambler. So now we get to add Sloth to the list. I owed the wrong kind of people a sum of money it would take me a year to pay off. Even now."

"The next thing I know, I'm being picked up by the Las Vegas FBI Field Office. I'm in a cell. No idea why I'm there. And take a guess who walks in? He didn't say a word. I saw the disappointment in his eyes and that was it. I just started bawling. Just like I was back in that shanty with broken teeth and broken feet. All he did was put his hand on the back of my head, like you do, and whispered to me, 'I can help you…we can make this right.' I don't know if God had sent him, and even if he had, I don't know why. But that was the turning point in my life. With a few well-placed words from the agents, and Jon, my debts were cancelled. He brought me back to DC and got me right. He took me to my first GA, Gambler's Anonymous meeting. Sometimes we would go to our meetings at the same time. He'd be in one meeting, and I'd be down the hall in mine. That's when I found out he's an alcoholic. I've seen him drink, but usually only one. And then it's right back to club soda. That's why I walk around with a poker chip and one of a set of dice in my pocket. To always remind me how close I came to throwing everything away."

"I already had a degree in Criminal Justice, and a minor in Philosophy. Don't ask, I think I was trying to reconcile what I was doing in the Army with everything else I had been taught…from the Army, to the church, to my parents. But Jon suggested again a career in the FBI. I looked into it, and found my calling. Most of the people I met were regular, stand-up men and women. They just happened to have a need to protect others. They loved the country, wanted to make sure its people were protected, and wanted them to be able to pursue their own 'American Dream' with no judgments about what that dream was. As long as it was legal. This was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Maybe make amends for all the things I did wrong. I applied and was accepted. He says differently, but I think Jon may have had more than a hand in it. Went through training and was assigned to Jon's team on graduation. He looked so proud at my graduation. He was dating Cynthia at the time and she was there too. I didn't do it for him, but it sure was a nice benefit on top of it all."

"He asked me to be his best man at his wedding. Let me tell you, it took quite a bit of creativity to come up with a fun, non-alcoholic bachelor party. He didn't want strippers or anything like that. I agree with him. If you're marrying somebody you love, why would you want to mess around with hookers and strippers? So we went sky diving and bungee jumping instead. You know? Take the plunge? Well, I thought it was original. She's where his money comes from. I don't know how exactly it happened. How they got together. I think he stopped and helped her when she had a flat tire. He had to show his FBI credentials before she would roll down her window to talk to him. I guess she remembered his name and tracked him down. I remember he had a lot of guilt when they first started dating. Like he was cheating on Catherine. But he learned that people's hearts don't have a set _'Fill to this line'_ capacity for Love. They can constantly grow. Did he tell you she was pregnant when she was killed? He was finally going to have a son. Shortly after the accident, he was deactivated. He decided to move down to Florida, get a couple of boats and go into the charter business. I was going to transfer down there, but he wouldn't let me. He told me it would be better for my career, higher visibility, if I stayed in DC. He was right, shortly afterwards I was made a Special Agent. We kept in contact. Birthdays, holidays. I've always worried about him being alone. He hasn't had a serious relationship since Cynthia. I hope this thing with Cricket works out. He's always telling me that life is to be savored. But you have to live it with a certain amount of moderation. Too much of anything, even water, can kill you."

"I met Rebecca through a mutual friend. He thought we would hit it off. She was still in grad school. I had just made Special Agent status. She was funny…pretty…smart…independent…low maintenance. I'm sorry; does it bother you if I talk about her? She had a lot of the same qualities you have. But like I said, she was low maintenance. Ow! That hurt! When we found out she was pregnant, I was scared. I didn't know what kind of father I'd be. I mean, what could I teach a child? How to put a round through somebody's heart at 1,000 yards? Of course, I proposed to her. At the time, I thought I loved her. I thought it would be the best thing for the child. We didn't know it was going to be a boy at that time. But she said no. So, now here we are. I don't really have any legal standing if she decides to move away. I'd lose whatever relationship I have with Parker. I've been lucky so far. She hasn't met anybody who had a job that would take her away. Brett might be the guy, though. If the Coast Guard decides to move him to another station, I don't know if she would stay here or go with him."

"And now, Jon's back. At least for a little while. I needed him here. Just like I need you. He's my rock. He taught me I needed to live my life with moderation and not get too high or too low."

"Heh…I just thought of something. You know what's another word for moderation?"

"'_Temperance'__"_


	37. A Pleasant Surprise

**A/N:** It has been brought to my attention that the movement from Booth and Temperance's talk to the next chapter was a bit jarring. Upon re-reading the last couple of chapters, I agree that it was extremely disjointed. To that end, I am including this short interlude as a bridge chapter after "The Rest of His Story" and before "Target Acquisition." I will delete that chapter and place it in the proper sequence. "Target Acquisition" has had some minor changes, which, I believe, will also make it more coherent. My thanks to Africancharm for keeping me straight. As always, I welcome any questions and / or suggestions.

* * *

"What about your brother?"

"Hmmm?" Seeley asked. Temperance lay nestled in the crook of his right shoulder. Her right hand gently caressing, drawing invisible pictures on his chest.

"What about your brother, Jared?" she repeated. "You haven't mentioned him."

Seeley searched his memory. Comprehension finally dawned upon him. In a somewhat embarrassed voice he said, "I don't have a brother, Temperance…I'm an only child."

"But didn't you tell Sean Cook that you and your brother were playing soldier and you got hurt accidentally?" Temperance accused. "You showed him a scar." Seeley tried to hold her closer, but she pushed herself out of his arms. Though she still didn't get up from the bed. "Well?" she asked, flintily.

Seeley couldn't believe that after everything he had told her, _this_ would be what would drive a wedge between them. Almost ashamedly, he said, "I lied." Seeing her expression harden, he continued, "It was an appendix scar. I was trying to build a rapport with him. If I had a brother, it would have given me a shared reference point where we could build a little bit of trust."

"So you could get him to confess?" she charged. Looking at the hurt filling his eyes, she immediately knew she was wrong.

He looked at her and softly said, "No…No, Temperance." He lay back, looking at the ceiling. "I thought you knew me better than that." He turned to look at her, "I wanted him to trust me so we could find out what happened to his brother. I never thought he was the perp." He continued, "Besides, you lied to me that very same day." Temperance thought through that day. Her eyelids closed in agreement. "You told me your grandfather got you out of the system."

She burrowed back against him. "I'm sorry, I lied," she said into his chest. "I just didn't want to be bothered explaining the situation to you at that time." Seeley hugged her against him. "You know now I didn't have a grandfather. I was in the system until I graduated high school." It felt somehow liberating that he knew the truth. "And then I went off to college…alone."

Softly, Seeley said, "I'm sorry I wasn't truthful…I should have let you know it wasn't the truth."

They lay there a few moments more. Feeling each other breathe. Instinctively, Temperance's toe began brushing the top of Seeley's foot. She could feel him tense. Realization struck her as she immediately withdrew her foot. "I'm sorry Seeley." She thought, _"How could I be so dense? His feet were pummeled into uselessness. They're probably extremely sensitive."_

He turned his head away and in a strangled voice, "It's okay."

She noticed the tone of his voice wasn't pained or discomforted. The scientist in her won out. She lightly brushed his foot again. "Does it hurt when I do this?" His entire body tensed. She could see him grit his teeth. But his mouth didn't reflect pain. He shook his head. _"Are you kidding me?"_ she thought with delight. She smiled. She brushed his foot again, and said playfully, "Are you ticklish?"

He kicked his feet back, "Just the tops of my feet," he grimaced.

"Really?" she sat up and moved towards the foot of the bed. Playfully, she reached out for his foot, but he kicked it back out of her reach. She looked at him slyly, "Is it just one foot," reaching out for his other foot, "Or both?" Laughing, she caught his pants leg and tried to force his foot within reach.

His leg strength was too much for her arms and she lost her grip on his pants. But his other foot had edged within her grasp. She pinned his foot against the bed with her body weight, and began stroking the bottom of the foot. No reaction. She noted that it was having the opposite reaction of her intent. She lightly blew on the top of his foot. A better reaction she could not have wished for. He yelped and jumped to his knees. He leaned down and placed his shoulder as a pivot point in her mid-section. Wrapping his arms around her thighs, he lifted her onto his shoulder. He laughed triumphantly. She laughingly screamed and gently beat his lower back with open-handed slaps. "Booth!" she laughed, "Put me down."

Instead, he moved off the bed and stood up. He turned at the waist from side to side, causing Temperance to squeal. "I'm not kidding Booth!" she said. "Put me down." Although to be honest, she had an extremely nice view of his gluteus maximus. They were still encased in his pants, but sooner or later…

Seeley started walking to the door, "I think I'll take a quick shower," he said. "Ow!" he jumped as Temperance pinched his left buttock. He jumped again as she pinched his right buttock. "I think what this calls for is a nice long, _cold_ shower!"

Remembering that Sunday a few weeks ago, Temperance surrendered, "Okay…okay. You win, Booth! Please put me down!"

He said, "Who's this 'Booth' you keep referring to?" as he continued walking to the bathroom.

"Seeley!" she shouted. And then more calmly, "Please put me down, Seeley."

He stopped. Bending over, he placed her feet on the floor. When he felt her standing on her own, he straightened up, keeping his arms around her, until they were standing together. Her arms around his neck, his around her back. She leaned against the wall. He could feel through her stretch top her nipples, erect, pressing into his chest. He looked in her ice blue eyes, dilated to almost slivers. Their breathing in unison, he said, "Well…what should we do now?"

"We could always make out for awhile?" she asked hopefully. She edged herself up and gently took his lower lip between her teeth.

He moved his head back, disengaging his lip from her teeth. "You really should stay out of my head. Where's the back seat of a car when you really need it?" He lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. She wrapped her legs around his waist. He turned and stumbled towards her room.


	38. Target Acquisition

**A/N:** It has been brought to my attention that the movement from Booth and Temperance's talk to the next chapter was a bit jarring. Upon re-reading the last couple of chapters, I agree that it was extremely disjointed. To that end, I have included a short interlude as a bridge chapter after "The Rest of His Story" and before this chapter, "Target Acquisition." I have deleted that chapter and placed it in the proper sequence. "Target Acquisition" has had some minor changes also, which, I believe, will also make it more coherent. My thanks to Africancharm for keeping me straight. As always, I welcome any questions and / or suggestions.

* * *

The old man shuffled along in the food serving line. He wore a tattered, stained overcoat. It was missing a few buttons here and there, allowing a faded olive-drab shirt to poke through. His pants were torn, with patchwork holes at his knees. On his feet were worn loafers, one of which was held together with scuffed, dull grey, threading duct tape. His eyes had a hollowed, haunted look above his bearded cheeks. Perched upon his head sat a faded, dark blue baseball cap with red lettering.

Tommy looked at the old man, hiding the disgust he felt. Looking closer at the old man, he could see where it looked like he had soiled his pants…multiple times. Tommy looked away, back down towards the start of the serving line. A new volunteer, a woman in her 30s stood next to him, spooning out soup. She always had something nice to say to the losers going through the line. _"It's her first day,"_ he thought_. "She'll get tired of it after awhile."_ He cursed his mother and father for making him volunteer here. He didn't hate all of these people. Some of them could be productive citizens if given the chance, he thought. But these former soldiers. What were they good for? They couldn't even do what they were trained for. Killing people. They were just a drain on society now. _"Bad enough we have to provide for them with shelters and soup kitchens,"_ Tommy thought, _"I'll bet most of 'em get monthly checks from the VA __and__ Social Security."_ Tommy groused, _"My tax dollars at work."_ The irony of this last thought never registered on him though. The heir to a large trust fund didn't need to have a job. Working here was his parents' idea to teach him responsibility. He was 17 for Christ's sake. He had other things he could be doing. One of which was the woman with curly brown hair to his right.

Tommy reached out and set a piece of garlic bread on the old man's tray. "Here you go sir," he said happily.

The old man looked at him gratefully and said, haltingly, "Thank you."

Still cheerful, Tommy continued, "I haven't seen you here, before, Old Timer. Just get into town?"

The old man, nodded. "Just today."

"What brings you to DC?"

"Come to see the wall," the old man said sadly. Tommy guessed he meant the Vietnam War Memorial. "I never seen it before. Figured I'd see if I can spot any of my buddies on it."

"It's a sad thing," Tommy commiserated. He set two more pieces of bread on the old man's tray. The old man looked at him and smiled. "Where are you staying?" The old man shrugged his shoulders and looked around. "Well, if you don't get a spot here tonight, I know a lot of the old soldiers sometimes stay under the overpass down by the park." The old man looked at him questioningly. Tommy pointed in the general direction, he continued, "It's about a mile and a half that way."

The old man smiled. He nodded and said, "Thank you," and began shuffling to one of the seats.

Tommy called after him, "Hey! What's your name?"

The old man turned, "My friends call me Beau."

Tommy nodded, "I'm Tommy." He smiled. Beau smiled back and nodded, moving towards the empty chair.

Tommy watched him settle himself. The woman leaned over to him, "That was very nice of you, Tommy."

He turned to her and smilingly said, "Thanks, Jules. We've got to take care of our Veterans." She looked at him approvingly. _"Mmmm,"_ he thought, _"I just may have a chance with her yet…MILF city here I come."_

She smiled at him, "It's rare to see such maturity in a young man nowadays."

He shrugged. His thoughts turned to him looking down at her curly brown hair spread out over a pillow. He didn't see her catch the eye of the other new volunteer. A thin man, with dark blond hair clearing some of the tables. The man adjusted his glasses and went back to work.

* * *

Seeley angled the SUV to a spot close by the door of the warehouse. Seeley and Temperance saw Jon's vehicle already sitting off to the side. "You're sure you want to come?" he asked Temperance. "I mean, it's not like we're going to be doing anything different today."

She turned to him, "You think I'll be bored?"

"Well," he said, "I'm going to be bored. I don't see how you couldn't be as well."

"Well, if that's the way you are going to be, I could always let Jon give you the massage to work out any stiffness in your arm or shoulder," she said lightly.

"No…no," he said, "I'm glad you decided to hang around." He looked at her, still tasting, from earlier in the day, her lips upon his.

"I hope you get to play some pool today," she continued. He looked at her. "It's an interesting game. The players need to understand geometric principles as well as the forces of velocity, motion, friction…" Seeley continued looking at her, amused. She turned to him. "As well as understanding those concepts, the players have to act upon those principles with just the right amount of force in order to achieve the desired result." Seeley smiled. Temperance saw his smile and said, "What?"

"Nothing," he replied. "Now I know how to get you interested in sports." She looked at him, aghast. "I just have to break it down into its most basic parts, or skills, and then relate those to some scientific principle."

"That may be so," she agreed. "But is pool a sport?

"ESPN has been trying to tell us it is for years...that and golf," he opened his door and got out. He walked around and opened Temperance's door. Holding his hand out, he waited for her to grasp it and exit the vehicle as well. "This doesn't bother you? Me opening the door like this?" She took his hand and stepped onto the ground. Seeley shut the door and the two walked towards the door of the warehouse.

"Just as long as you don't overdo it…If you've got an armload of packages, it would be foolish to try to open my car door."

"Got it." Seeley said. Upon reaching the door, Temperance punched her security code into the keypad. Once they heard the 'Click' of the door unlocking, Seeley opened the door.

The two walked through into a darkened room. Once the door closed behind them, their eyes adjusted to the dim light. "I thought Jon was here," Temperance said.

"So did I," Seeley said. He looked around through the intermittent patches of light coming from the fluorescents circling the walls at various intervals. "Wait here," he said.

"Yeah, right," Temperance said as she moved towards the showers / sauna / whirlpool area. Seeley looked heavenward and stifled a growl. He moved over to the pool table and picked up a cue. Temperance edged toward the shower door where she could see light crawling from underneath the door. Seeley moved his hand to her waist.

Temperance reached out for the door handle when the door flew open away from her into the other room. Temperance and Seeley jumped. Temperance more so than Seeley as he pushed her out of the way, ready to take on whatever was coming out of the room. Seeley raised the cue to smash the creature to bits. Jon yelped as he jumped back out of the way of the two figures, his hands dropping the towel he had been using to dry his hair. Once he saw who it was, he relaxed, "Jeezus…you guys!" he breathed, standing there in his pants and bare feet. "What are you two doing skulking around here in the dark?"

"Us?" Seeley exhaled. "What about you?" Jon looked at the two in disbelief and then looked back into the shower room and pointed at the light burning brightly.

Temperance started, "We thought…"

"What?" Jon asked. "That some horrible monster had eaten me alive?" Jon looked at Seeley, still holding the pool cue. "What were you going to do with that…beat the creature senseless?

Seeley looked at the cue and then looked towards Temperance. He relaxed and started to smile. Their heartbeats returning to normal, the three of them started to laugh.

* * *

Jon pulled his attaché case down from one of the shelves. Setting it on the table, he inserted the key and unlocked it. He looked at Seeley and Temperance. "I figured today we can see where you are, shooting-wise." Temperance saw Booth's smile. She couldn't help but join in. "Afterwards, we'll have you lift some and then get you stretched out." Jon continued, "How's that sound?"

"Sounds great to me," Seeley agreed.

"Music to my ears," Temperance said. Jon and Seeley looked at her. "What?" she said. "I like to see him make progress. This is a step forward, right?"

"Exactly right," Jon said. Then, to Seeley, "Go ahead and get changed into your workout gear. You should have some clean stuff in the dryer." Seeley started to go into the other room when Temperance stopped him.

"Wait a second, Seeley," she said. Jon was pleasantly surprised at her use of his first name. She moved over to Jon and hugged him tightly. She whispered in his ear, "Thank you, Bo Peep. Thank you for bringing him home to me." She released him and saw the astonished expression on his face. Confused she said, "Seeley and I just wanted to say Thank you. For everything you've done."

Somewhat embarrassed, Jon looked at the floor and then looked back at the two. "Well, we've still got a lot of work to do." He looked at Seeley. "Go ahead and get dressed." Seeley gave Jon a look of gratitude, turned and closed the door. Jon looked at the floor again. "He told you about Bo Peep?"

"And Goosey Goosey Gander, and Star Light, Star Bright…" Temperance said smiling. Her smile faded as she reached out and touched his forearm. "I'm sorry for the loss of your wife and daughters." She could see Jon was deciding something. She waited.

He had decided, "I think you should know this," he started walking towards the other end of the warehouse, into the darkness. He motioned Temperance to follow him. After a moment he started, "You're aware that I've known Seel a long time," Temperance nodded. Jon saw the nod and smiled. "Yeah…I know you know….You know that he's had a couple of important relationships in his life? Relationships with women?"

"He didn't go into details, but yes, he told me."

"Did he tell you that you're the only one he's ever told about Bo Peep and Goosey?" Stunned, Temperance stopped. "Oh…he's told some of them, in very general terms what he did in the Army. Very little about why he joined other than to pay for college. Virtually nothing about what happened to him when he got out…or even why he got out." Jon paused to let the importance of what he said sink in. "He's had a broken soul for so very long. He trusts you. More than he's trusted anybody in a long, long time. You've earned his respect and admiration by how you've faced down death together. I think since he's known you, his soul has been rejuvenated. He's trusting you with more than just his heart." Jon paused to make sure she understood, "Is that something you want? Is it something you're prepared for?"

Words Temperance never thought she would say came from her lips, "I don't know if I'm prepared for it, but it's something I want…with all my heart."

"_What_ are you two whispering about _now_?" Seeley's voice boomed through the warehouse. "You two are like a couple of old women."

"We're just trying to figure out what to get you for your birthday," Jon yelled.

"Don't we have some shooting to do?" Seeley countered.

Temperance turned and followed Jon towards the shooting range. Jon turned and tossed her a pair of noise suppressors. Halfway to her hands, Temperance's thoughts clicked on what just occurred. The noise suppressors clattered on the floor. Bending down to retrieve them, she thought, _"He didn't scoff at how far away his birthday was."_ She was startled to realize she did not know when, exactly, was his birthday_. "It must not be far away,"_ she reasoned, _"Or he would have had the same response he had for the Christmas excuse."_

"_It must be pretty close,"_ she thought. _"I'm going to have to have another talk with Jon."_ And then she smiled. She knew exactly what she would give him.


	39. Set Up

Booth lay on the massage table, shirtless, face up. His face wracked with pain, eyes squinted shut, mouth frozen in a grimace. His arms shook uncontrollably. Temperance stood to his right side pressing her fingers into his flesh. _"This isn't working,"_ she thought. _"I need to get more pressure on this."_ She eased up on the pressure, "Seeley…" she got his attention. He opened his eyes. Temperance looked into his eyes, "Can you raise your arms over your head?" He nodded and rotated his arms outward until they rested on the table above his head. Temperance slid onto the table and, hiking her skirt, straddled Seeley's abdomen. Using her weight, she pushed her fingers into the muscles and ligaments just above his scar. As she moved the tissues and fibers underneath the surface, she could see him visibly relax. His arm stopped shaking and his breathing became steadier. She smiled as she could see the pressure she was exerting markedly eased his pain.

Jon rounded the corner, looking at the target, "Well, Seel," he said, "You're doing much better than I thought…" He looked up and saw Temperance straddling Seeley on the massage table. "Holy Crap!" he exclaimed. "Does the phrase, 'Get a room' mean _anything_ to you two?"

Temperance, still pressing her weight into Seeley's flesh, looked at Jon, not at all amused. "I needed to get up here, to put more pressure on this bundle."

"'Pressure on the bundle'," Jon repeated. "Is that what the kids are calling it now?" He walked over to the table. Reaching out, he felt where Temperance was kneading. "How's it feel, Seel?" he asked.

Seeley nodded his head, "Better…now." He breathed, looking at Temperance.

Jon nodded, "Bring your arms back down to your sides," to Temperance, he encouraged, "Keep on trying to break down that tissue there." She nodded.

Jon sidestepped Seeley's arm as it made its circuit back to his side. Seeley's arms rested alongside her legs on the table. She was acutely aware of the touch of his arms on her legs and his hands on her ankles. Perhaps it was a reflection of their teenage "make out session" earlier, but it was strangely erotic. She had to will her attention back to what she was doing.

After a few moments, Jon set the target on a table and moved over to the refrigerator. Opening the freezer, he pulled out the shoulder wrap to ice Seeley's shoulder. He undid the Velcro tabs and kneaded the frozen material into shape. Still looking at the wrap, he said, "Okay, that should be enough…Let's get this ice on his shoulder."

Temperance stopped her massage, and sat looking into Seeley's eyes. He smiled, "You do that very well," he said. He took her hand and kissed it. "Maybe you can do a full-body one sometime."

She returned the smile, "And what will you do for me?" She began climbing down from on top of him.

He grasped her wrist, and she stopped. "Well, I'll do one for you, of course."

She continued her disentanglement from him, "I've heard that sometimes, a massage will start out with a nice, relaxing bath as well. I'll look forward to it."

"Ah-hem…" Jon stood waiting, shoulder wrap in hand. "What did I tell you two about getting a room?"

* * *

Seeley looked at the target disappointedly. Jon had circled one grouping on the target with a white marking pen. He could see those twenty shots were close. Not as close as what he normally could do. But there was the promise of being able to tighten it up. The rest of his shots, 50 of them, were scattered around the target almost randomly. He sighed. He had a lot of work to do.

Temperance laid her hand on his forearm. "You did much better than Jon or I thought you would do."

He looked at her and went to put his hand on top of hers, but then he remembered the ice wrap around his shoulder, restricting his movement, and withdrew his hand. He smiled at her, not a patronizing smile, or his charm smile. This one was genuine, "I know…to be honest with you, I did much better than I thought I would do." She returned the smile. "It's just looking at this," he indicated the target, "I can see I've got a lot of work to do."

"We've got a starting point," she agreed. Seeley found he liked it when she said, 'We.' Pointing to the circled grouping, she said, "These are your first shots. All the rest are when you got tired. But you hit the target with every shot. You didn't miss. We just need to get your stamina up."

He looked at her, smiling. Seeley took her hand with his free one and pulled her close to him. He kissed her gently, only to be interrupted by Jon, "I swear to God," he started, "if you two can't keep your hands and lips off each other, it's going to make it awfully tough to deny you're more than just partners."

The two sat back, slightly embarrassed, like two schoolchildren caught whispering in class. Jon looked from one to the other, "Good. Now, we've caught a couple of breaks in the case." Seeley and Temperance's attention was piqued. "What are you two doing for the next couple of nights?"

* * *

The old man sat under the overpass. A hallowed, haunting look in his unseeing eyes. Unseeing of this world, that is. He mind was lost in wars and battles from long ago. Occasionally, he would remove a pint bottle of Smirnoff's Vodka from an overcoat pocket, open it and take a drink. He sighed softly.

His thoughts of yesteryears were interrupted, "Beau! Hey Beau!" Somebody was calling him? He dropped his bottle in a crackling, tinkling pile of shards and clear liquid. He moaned at the loss. He looked towards where his interrupters' voices had come. It was a dark SUV. The rear passenger window was rolled down. He saw a face and a waving hand. "Hey Beau! Come here!" the voice said again. It seemed familiar. From not too long ago. "Hey Beau! It's me, Tommy!"

Beau stood up and uncertainly started to move towards the SUV. Unknowingly, he kicked the pile of broken glass, stepping in the liquid wetting the pavement. He reached the window and saw it was indeed Tommy. He looked towards the front, but with the window rolled up, he could not see the two occupants of the front seats clearly. "Hi Tommy!" he said. Then looking over the SUV from front to back, "Nice car!"

"How are you doing?" Tommy asked.

"Oh…you know," Beau replied.

"We came by to see if you made it here the last couple of nights. But we didn't see you."

Beau nodded, "I stayed up by the wall…talking to my buddies."

Tommy's face grew serious, "You met some people up there? Talked to them?"

Beau shook his head, "No…I was talking to my buddies…from the war."

A voice from the front seat said, "He sees dead people," and then laughter. A couple of people. Beau didn't seem to hear.

Tommy's tone got lighter. "Hey I was telling my friends that I met a real good guy. A soldier. They said it would be cool if you could tell us some stories." He paused, watching Beau to see his reaction. "Think you can tell us some stories?"

Beau shook his head, "I don't know…"

Tommy said, "Aww…come on. You know us young people want to hear about what you did in the war."

A voice from the front seat, almost sneering, "We got some alcohol. Wild Turkey."

Beau swayed a little bit and made a distasteful face, "I can't stand Wild Turkey…I drink Smirnoff's."

The voice from the front, "Like he knows the difference." There was some muttering back and forth.

Tommy finally said, "We can stop and get you some Smirnoff's."

"Okay," Beau said, "I'll be here when you get back." He turned to go back to his spot.

"No," Tommy laughed. "You can come with us. We've got a better spot. It's out in the country."

Beau looked like he was thinking it over. He looked up at the overpass and the night sky lightened by the city's lights. He nodded and moved towards the car; Tommy opened the door and slid over. "That'd be good. I can't see the stars here. Will I be able to see the stars there?" Beau got into the SUV and closed the door behind him.

A voice from the front, "You'll see stars all right."

The driver engaged the transmission and the SUV began moving. "Nice car," Beau said. He looked towards the front seat. "Who are you two?"

Tommy said, indicating the driver, "That's Georgie,' and then the passenger, "and that's Jack."

"You guys got last names?"

The three of them exchanged looks. Tommy relaxed and said, "Yeah, mine's Tucker."

Georgie smiled and said, "Porgie."

Followed by Jack, with "Sprat."

Tommy asked, "How about you, old timer?"

Beau began smiling, "Peep," he responded.

Nobody noticed a dark-colored panel van turned onto the street behind them.

* * *

Booth sat behind the wheel of the surveillance van, looking at Chaz in the passenger seat. "Now, _where_ is Agent Smith?" He had asked this same question a couple of times and gotten the same answer from Chaz each time.

This time was no different, "He's at another location, Agent Booth."

Booth looked to Temperance, sitting in a jump seat behind Chaz. She shook her head. She turned to Cricket, who was sitting further back with the audio recording equipment. Temperance noted she had a semi-automatic on her hip. "Cricket," she said, "I didn't know you were a full-fledged agent."

Cricket turned to her, "I'm not, really." She saw Temperance's gaze go to her weapon. "I'm not qualified to conceal carry. But I can carry it openly. And I've been trained in the use of Deadly Force. I've just got it here for defensive purposes."

Booth and Temperance turned their attention to the dark-haired woman with the white streak above her left eye. Booth said, "Tams? Is that right?" she looked up and nodded. "What is it exactly that you do?"

"I'm a computer specialist." She saw Booth's blank expression. "I know a lot about various computer programs. What I'm doing here tonight is I'll be tracking our undercover person if he moves." She rotated her laptop so Booth and Temperance could see a map of city streets with a dot flashing. She pointed to a box in the upper right corner of the screen. "This will give me his coordinates," pointing to the dot, "And this will give me a graphical representation…Kind of like a car's GPS system."

Temperance asked, "What kind of range does it require? How far away can we get before we lose the signal?"

Tams rotated the laptop back, she shook her head, "I can do this from the office. It's based on GPS technology. As long as there aren't heavy clouds, or they go into a tunnel…I'll know where they are." She saw Booth was preparing to ask her something, "I'm here to shorten the communication time between me and you. And don't worry, even if they go into a tunnel, once they pop out…they'll be on my screen."

Booth said, "How reliable is the technology?"

"Very reliable, Agent Booth." Booth looked at her skeptically. "This isn't the movies, where it will be more dramatic if the heroes lose the ability to track their buddy if he gets wet. This is the FBI. We don't take chances with our agents."

"What if he loses the device?" Temperance asked.

Chaz said, "He'd have to lose his arm." He turned and looked at her, "It's been implanted here," he pointed to a spot just above his triceps.

"I had heard the government was working on this technology, but I didn't think it was this far along," Temperance said.

Tams said, "You'd be surprised what we can do, Doctor Brennan."

"Quiet, everybody!" Cricket interrupted.

Booth turned and saw a dark-colored SUV had pulled up. "Here we go," he said softly.

Voices from the audio equipment:

_Voice 1_: "Beau! Hey Beau!" from far away.

_Voice 1_: "Hey Beau! Come here!" the voice said again.

_Voice 1_: "Hey Beau! It's me, Tommy!"

"Beau?" Booth whispered. Looking through the windshield, he saw a figure get up and walk towards the SUV.

_Beau:_ "Hi Tommy!" after a couple of seconds, "Nice car!"

The voice sounded familiar to Booth.

_Tommy_: "How are you doing?"

_Beau_: "Oh…you know," Beau replied.

_Tommy_: "We came by to see if you made it here the last couple of nights. But we didn't see you."

_Beau_: "I stayed up by the wall…talking to my buddies."

_Tommy_: "You met some people up there? Talked to them?"

_Beau_: "No…I was talking to my buddies…from the war."

_Voice 3_: (slightly muffled) "He sees dead people," and then laughter (multiple people)

_Tommy_: "Hey I was telling my friends that I met a real good guy. A soldier. They said it would be cool if you could tell us some stories." A pause. "Think you can tell us some stories?"

_Beau_: "I don't know…"

"This guy's good," Booth said. "Making them beg. Establishing no entrapment."

_Tommy_: "Aww…come on. You know us young people want to hear about what you did in the war."

_Voice 4_: "We got some alcohol. Wild Turkey."

_Beau_: "I can't stand Wild Turkey…I drink Smirnoff's."

_Voice 3_: "Like he knows the difference." (muttering back and forth).

Temperance said, "What's this all about?" Booth shook his head.

_Tommy_: "We can stop and get you some Smirnoff's."

_Beau_: "Okay…I'll be here when you get back." Booth saw the figure start to move back to where he started.

_Tommy_: (laughter) "No…You can come with us. We've got a better spot. It's out in the country."

Booth and Chaz both shook their heads admiringly, "This guy _is_ good."

_Beau_: "That'd be good. I can't see the stars here. Will I be able to see the stars there?"

Shock and horror etched its way onto Booth's face. "Oh God…" he said softly

Temperance, understanding Booth's moods more now than ever before said, "What is it?" Booth turned and looked at her with haunted eyes.

They heard the car door close.

_Voice 3_: "You'll see stars all right."

_Beau_: "Nice car," a pause "Who are you two?"

_Tommy_: "That's 'Georgie,' and that's 'Jack'."

_Beau_: "You guys got last names?"

_Tommy_: "Yeah, mine's Tucker."

_Voice_ _3_ (Georgie): "Porgie."

_Voice 4_ (Jack): "Sprat"

_Tommy_: "How about you, old timer?"

_Beau_: "Peep,"

A shiver ran up Temperance's spine as she made the connections. She looked at Booth. He turned to her while reaching for the ignition. "Why wouldn't he tell us?" She turned to Chaz. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Chaz, truly sorry for the deception said, "He made us promise. If he or we told you, he knew Booth would pull the plug and want to do the undercover himself. But it wouldn't have worked with someone younger. It had to be an old man."

Cricket interrupted, "An older man…not an old man."

Booth angled the van into the street. He looked in the rearview mirror and saw genuine worry in Cricket's eyes. He motioned for Chaz to call in. Chaz took the handset, "22705…dispatch."

"Dispatch to 22705, be advised this unit number is not active."

Chaz handed the handset to Booth, "22705 to dispatch. Agent code Alpha Bravo Zero One One Eight."

A short pause, "Dispatch to 22705, go"

"Be advised we are in slow pursuit of an 11-54. Possible kidnap. Request Code 8 and Code 43 on my go. Location to be determined."

"Roger 22705, in pursuit of suspicious vehicle, possible kidnap. Request backup and Tac Team on your go."


	40. The Trap is Sprung

"Back off a little bit, Booth," Tams said. "We don't need to be this close."

Booth had instinctively increased his speed to keep the SUV in sight. He backed off on the accelerator, "Sorry," he said. "I'm used to doing this under VFR."

Tams smiled, "No problem."

"What's VFR?" Temperance asked.

Booth explained, "Pilots fly by two different sets of rules. One is VFR, Visual Flight Rules and the other is IFR, Instrument Flight Rules."

Temperance nodded, "One is using your eyes, looking around. And the other is just using your instruments in the cockpit."

Booth smiled, "You got it."

Tams interrupted, "Three blocks up, they've turned right."

"This is great," Booth chuckled. "If only they weren't driving around in a big circle."

Chaz said, "They're probably trying to make sure no one is following them."

Booth nodded. He turned to Chaz. "I need a gun."

Chaz shook his head. "Can't do it, Agent Booth." Booth's expression started to turn ugly. Chaz stood his ground. "With all due respect, sir. This is our case. We can't have you jeopardize it by carrying a weapon you haven't been cleared to carry. That would give the defense a basis to say we didn't follow proper procedures."

Booth had to admit he was right. He said, "Technically, I shouldn't even be here."

Chaz nodded. "But you're here because everybody trusts you and your expertise."

Temperance saw Booth glance at Chaz with a look of gratitude. And respect. She could see him relax a bit. At least as much as his squealing, sharp turn would let him.

"Oops," he said.

"It looks like they've stopped a couple of blocks up," Tams said.

Chaz said, "Go on past where they are. Then pull in and park." Booth nodded.

On the audio, they could hear doors opening.

_Jack:_ "That's Smirnoff's, right?"

_Beau (Jon):_ I'll come with you…make sure you get the right kind.

_Jack:_ "You just stay put."

_Jon:_ "I'll just go home then." Then there were sounds of scuffling.

"Is this it?" Temperance asked.

"Wait a second," Booth said.

The sounds of scuffling died down.

_Tommy:_ "Okay…okay…let him come inside."

_Jon:_ "Besides…are any of you over 21?" A pause, "Didn't think so."

The occupants of the panel van began breathing again. The van passed the liquor store. Bright fluorescents and the store's neon sign, "Bob's Discount Package", illuminated the night sky. They saw a group of people enter the store. Booth pulled the van ahead about a block away and parked next to the curb. A couple moments passed as the group listened to Jon extol the virtues of Smirnoff's as opposed to the other brands.

Temperance turned to Cricket, "When Jon goes back down to Florida, are you going to go with him?"

Everybody turned to look at her. "What, this is a stakeout, isn't it?" Turning to Booth, "Didn't you tell me this is what you do? Converse?"

Booth looked at her as if she just dropped out of a flying saucer. "Yeah, but usually it's light conversation. Nothing too deep…or personal."

She looked back to Cricket, not understanding if she had offended her. Cricket smiled, and said, "That's okay…I would if he asked me."

"Even after only knowing him for what? About six weeks? You would give your whole life up?" Temperance followed up.

Cricket responded, "Who said anything about giving my life up? I can transfer down to one of the offices in Florida." Temperance nodded. Cricket smiled, "Of course, if he asked me to marry him, I'd jump in a heartbeat." Tams smiled with her.

"So you believe in marriage?"

Cricket answered, "Don't you?" looking at Temperance and then at Booth.

Temperance shook her head, "It goes against all biological imperatives to try to tie yourself to one person for the rest of your life."

"Think so? Against biological imperatives? Why? Simply because we're part of the animal kingdom?" Cricket asked.

"Of course," Temperance said. "It helps ensure the stronger genes are reproduced."

"So the only reason to mate in the animal kingdom is to reproduce?"

"Well, some studies have suggested that some animals display pleasurable symptomologies during mating."

"Some animals…not most or all?"

"Well, no." Temperance agreed.

"So your hypothesis is that because we are part of the animal kingdom, we should act simply on our biological needs and instincts?" Cricket asked.

"When it comes to sex and mating, yes." Temperance said.

"Why just when it comes to that? Humanity has a history of subjugating those who are weaker. Just like in the animal kingdom. Why not just allow the strongest of us do as they wish. Follow their biologic, instinctive urges?"

"Well, Society has put in place laws protecting those who are weaker…" Temperance started.

"But you're saying we shouldn't be constrained by societal laws. What makes sexual and biological urges different? If we followed that same train of logic to its conclusion, there should be no laws against rape. While some, probably most rapes are about control, there are some just about sex."

Booth was enjoying the back and forth. Temperance looked to Booth for help. He raised his hands and shook his head, "You know where I stand on the subject of marriage."

Cricket continued, "If we're going to pattern ourselves after the animal kingdom, why don't we use wolves? Usually, a male and female wolf will bond and mate for life, until one or the other dies. One pair…for life." Temperance was lost in thought. "Can't mankind be on at least as noble a plane? Instead of giving in to our most base urges and instincts?" Cricket smiled, "Isn't mankind a noble animal? Capable of raising ourselves up in lofty pursuits, such as Love? As well as engaging in the baser instincts of our race? Don't our marvelous brains give us the power to choose the nobler path?"

Temperance smiled, and subtly nodded her head. She looked at Booth. "I'm in the midst of philosophers. Good discussion." Cricket had given her a lot to think about.

* * *

The group of men entered the liquor store. The clerk looked up from his paper. "What can I do for you boys?"

Jack said, eyeing Jon, "Smirnoff's…a pint."

The clerk turned and produced a pint bottle of clear liquid with the familiar red and grey "Smirnoff" label. Jon picked the bottle up unsteadily and peered at the label closely. The tax stamp was pristine and served as a seal for the cap. He unscrewed the cap, raised the bottle to his lips and took a drink. "Ahh…that's the stuff." he said. As he moved to put the cap back on, the bottle slipped out of his hand and broke apart on the floor. The rest of the group rolled their eyes in disgust. Including the clerk. Jon wavered on his feet for a moment and then asked the clerk, "Could I have another one?" The clerk looked at him. Digging into his overcoat pocket, Jon came out with a wad of bills. "I'll pay for the one I broke, too."

The clerk nodded his head and placed another bottle on the counter. Jon dropped a couple of ten-dollar bills on the counter and moved to pick the fresh bottle up. Jack got to it first and picked the bottle up and started to put it in his jacket pocket. "Can we have a bag?" Jon said unsteadily. The clerk fished a small bag out from under the counter and opened the top. Jack slid the bottle in and then tucked it inside his pocket. The clerk started to ring up the cost of the bottles when Jon said, "Sorry about the mess," looking at the vodka on the floor. "Keep the change for your troubles."

The clerk, unaccustomed to being treated as more than a lackey, said "Thanks," while looking compassionately into the old man's eyes.

The three boys hustled Jon out the door and back into the SUV.

* * *

"They're on the move again," Tams said.

"Which way?" Booth asked.

"Coming up on the left."

After a moment, the SUV roared past them.

From the audio equipment:

_Tommy:_ "So what kind of action have you seen?"

_Jon:_ "Lots…I was at the battle of Khe Sahn. Marines were pinned down. I was part of the force that helped them beat the VC back.

Temperance said, "Isn't he too young to have been there?"

Booth said, "Who says he has to tell them the truth?"

Cricket added, "He was in Saigon, though."

Booth pulled the van out into the street. He reached for the radio. "Dispatch…22705"

"22705…Dispatch, go."

"Dispatch, send a team for a 10-62A clerk at Bob's Discount Package at the corner of L as in Lincoln Street Northeast and First Street Northeast."

"22705, Roger. Send a team for a statement at Bob's Discount Package at L Street Northeast and 'First Street Northeast."

Tams interrupted, "It looks like they're getting on the northbound Route 1."

"Dispatch, 22705, be advised subject vehicle is now heading north on Route 1 into Maryland."

"22705, Roger, subject vehicle heading north on 1 into Maryland"

"Roger, Dispatch…be advised the suspects are three males, late teens. Also, there is an agent UC as a homeless civilian. Out"

* * *

"You've passed it, Booth," Tams said. "Back up."

"I didn't see any road going off to the right," Booth said as he put the van in reverse. "You guys keep an eye out."

"They've stopped." Tams said. "About three quarters of a mile in."

"There," Chaz pointed.

Booth looked. It was an old dirt road, overgrown with brush. Booth put the van in _'Drive'_ and edged out onto the road. "I hope this thing will make it." He cut the lights. After bouncing in the ruts for about one quarter mile in, the road and surrounding area were blocked by a large gate and fence. He turned to Tams, "Have they moved?" Chaz exited the van and moved up to check out the gate.

"Nope…this looks like it's the place.

Booth got on the radio, "Dispatch…22705"

"22705…Dispatch, go"

"Dispatch, be advised subjects are now stationary at," he passed the radio to Tams, who read off the coordinates from her laptop. When she was done, "22705 is 10-20 on an access road approximately one half mile south of the suspect location. Advise Tac Team and local cowboys and backup to take positions…over"

"22705, will notify when teams are in position…over"

Chaz re-entered the van. "The gate is chained with a padlock."

Booth said, how sturdy is the gate and fencing?" Chaz moved towards the back of the van. "Do you think this thing can knock it down?"

"I'm sure it can," Chaz said. "As soon as we get rid of that chain." He turned around holding a pair of heavy–duty bolt cutters.

Booth smiled his genuine smile. He pointed at Chaz, "My man…Chaz." The rest of the crew smiled as well.

Temperance had forgotten how much fun this was. Seeing the professionalism and camaraderie of the people around her, she couldn't help but think Jon would make it through this.

Chaz started to go to cut the padlock and remove the chain, but Booth stopped him. "Remember, we can't cut or remove it unless we have a warrant or probable cause."

Chaz said, "Well, we definitely don't have a warrant. We'll have to wait until we hear something on the audio that would give us probable cause." He thought a moment. Temperance enjoyed seeing Booth guiding Chaz along. Allowing him to reach his own conclusions. "I'll be outside. When you give me the signal, I'll cut the lock, and remove the chain. After you drive through the gate, stop; I'll jump in. Then punch it and get us up to them."

Booth nodded, "Anybody got anything I can signal him with?" Temperance offered her laser pointer. Booth tried it out. "Got it?" he said to Chaz.

Chaz nodded and took up a position with the padlock in the jaws of the cutters. Cricket drew her weapon and pulled the slide back. She released it, chambering a round. She slowly and carefully eased the hammer to its resting position. Cricket holstered the weapon. Temperance withdrew her revolver from her bag, opened the cylinder and checked the rounds. She closed the cylinder and eased the hammer to resting position. She put the waist holster Booth had given her on and then holstered her weapon. Booth looked around at their eyes, _'Jon put together a good team,'_ he thought. He sat back and listened to the exchanges on the audio.

* * *

The three boys and Jon were seated next to a fire pit. Jon looked up at the stars. Not as bright as out on the ocean, but certainly more vibrant than in the city proper. Tommy tapped him on the shoulder. He looked back down and turned to him. He was handing the bottle, still sheathed in its brown covering to Jon. "Here you go, Beau…drink up."

He smiled, taking the bottle; sticking the opening in his mouth. He covered the opening with his tongue and leaned back, raising the bottle in the air. He loosened his tongue a bit to allow some of the liquid into his mouth. When he sat back up straight, he allowed the liquid to flow from his mouth. He coughed a bit, and worked his lips, "Tastes funny," he muttered. He offered it back to Tommy, "Taste funny to you?"

Tommy waved it away, "It tasted okay to me." Turning to the others, he said, "Did you guys think it tasted funny?" The other two smiled, both answered in the negative.

Jon stood up. The three boys watched him as he staggered off towards a copse of trees. "Where are you going?" Georgie asked.

Affronted, Jon said, "I'm going to take a piss, is that okay with you?" Georgie held his hands up and looked innocent. "I hope you don't want to come help me…cause I'm not that way." Now, all of the boys raised their hands.

Jack said, "Wait a minute," and took the bottle from Jon's hands. He pulled the bottle out, noting the level of the alcohol, and then returned the bottle to Jon.

"Don't you want a drink?" Jon asked, body waving back and forth as he stood there, offering the bottle back to Jack.

"No," he said impatiently.

"Okay," Jon said, "don't have to get so nasty about it." He stumbled off into the trees.

After a few moments, he returned. Georgie met him as he returned to the campsite. "Hey Beau!" He reached for the bottle, "How about a drink?" Jon handed the bottle over. Georgie pulled the bottle out, showing the level to Jack. It wasn't down much from when Jon left. Perhaps a swig's worth. Jack nodded. Georgie slid the bottle back in and turned his back to Jon. He raised the bottle for a moment and then brought it back down. Georgie handed the bottle to Jack, who then passed it back to Jon.

Jon staggered back to the log he had been sitting on and sat down. He raised the bottle to his lips and took a long drink from it. "Ahhh…mother's milk." He rubbed his arm across his mouth.

"So what else did you do in the Army, Beau?" Tommy asked.

Jon responded in a steady voice, "They made me into a sniper." At that, the three boys' interest perked up.

"Did you kill anybody important?" Jack asked.

"Weren't they all?" Jon responded. "To somebody?"

* * *

After about 15 minutes, Jon's concentration seemed to be slipping. He had only taken two more pulls from the bottle. But the boys noted his words slurring, and he seemed to be moving deeper and deeper into unresponsiveness. "And there we go," Georgie laughed. Georgie and Jack got up and came over to Jon. Jon lost track of Tommy until he was struck on the left side of his face.

"Ugghhh…" he groaned. He reached into his overcoat with one hand and was grasping for his ankle with the other. He was being pummeled unmercifully. Fists and kicks rained down upon him. He finally got his badge and gun in hand. "Federal Agent!" he yelled. The blows stopped. "You're all under arrest!"

"Screw that," he heard, his mind cataloguing Jack as the speaker. He felt a sharp, ripping pain up his left forearm, causing him to drop his weapon. More kicks and fists hit him…his head…his sides…torso…

The area was bathed in light. He heard a familiar voice, "Federal Agents!" _'Booth'_ he thought and then smiled.

Then another voice, "_He's_ not gonna say anything," _'Jack'_ another notation for the catalogue. He heard gunfire.

And then "Halt" _'Chaz'_ he thought

'Goddammit! Get your ass back here!' _'A woman's voice…Temperance?'_

He heard footsteps running away…more footsteps…a helicopter? ...scuffling…punching… he felt hands on his face…soft hands…pressure being applied to his left arm…Cricket's voice, "Hang on, baby…we're here…hang on

'_Why can't I see?'_ he thought. He tried to speak. "In…the trees."

"What baby?"

"In the trees…" Unconsciousness erased his pain.


	41. A Different Point of View

**A/N:** Warning, some violence

* * *

Cricket said, "Has anybody else noticed he's slurring his words?"

"He's acting," Booth said. _'I hope,'_ he thought. "He's trying to make them think he's incapacitated."

Tams said to Temperance, "Dr. Brennan, could you please turn around?" Temperance turned, and as she did, she shot a quick look at Booth. Tams reached up and pulled the Velcro covering on the back of her jacket. The letters 'FBI' stood out in large white letters.

Cricket moved to Booth, who leaned forward. The hissing of the Velcro pulling apart seemed loud to Temperance. Temperance turned back to Tams, "Thank you."

Tams replied, "When Chaz jumps in, you'll need to uncover his." Temperance nodded. "We wouldn't want any of you to get shot accidentally."

Booth turned to Cricket. He saw the concern in her eyes. He touched her hand. "We'll get him safe." She nodded.

From the audio, they heard the hit and Jon's groan. "That's it!"

He flashed the laser pointer at Chaz. They heard the bolt cutter shear the padlock. Booth started the van as Chaz dropped the cutters and yanked the chain from the locking mechanism. Booth floored the van. It lurched forward crumpling the gate. He jammed on the brakes. Chaz jumped in before the van had come to a stop. "Go…Go…Go," he yelled. Booth stomped on the accelerator and the van lurched forward.

"Radio," Booth yelled to Chaz.

Chaz grabbed the handset, "22705 to dispatch, Hit it! I repeat, Hit it!"

They heard over the audio:

"Federal Agent" a pause. Then "You're all under arrest!"

He threw the handset down. He felt a hand on his back and then heard the loud hissing of the Velcro giving way. He turned to see Dr. Brennan trying to keep her balance and then easing back down by the side door. She had her weapon out with one hand on the door. He drew his weapon.

The van lurched from side to side and up and down as Booth fought to maintain control at such a high rate of speed on an uneven, dirt trail more than road.

From the audio:

"Screw that" and the sound of a man's yelp. Then more blows connecting.

'_Almost there,'_ Booth pleaded for the vehicle to remain upright.

He stood on the brakes, and the van skidded to a stop. He hit the lights as Chaz and Temperance left the van. He saw them take up position in front.

Booth exited the van, "Federal Agents!" he bellowed in his best command voice. He saw one man with a semi-automatic and another with a knife.

Surrealistically, he heard the man with the gun say, "_He's_ not gonna say anything," from the man as well as the audio equipment in the van. The man pointed the gun at Jon's head, and it sounded like the world exploded. Three shots rang out. He saw the muzzle flashes from Temperance and Chaz's weapons. Two from Chaz and one from Temperance's. He heard Cricket cry out. He turned and saw her jumping over the seats to get out. The man with the gun dropped. The other two men began running.

Booth ran after the man with the knife. Chaz yelled, "Halt!" When he saw neither man had any intention of stopping, he joined the pursuit.

Temperance saw the man with the gun fall and saw the two others start running. She yelled, "Godammit! Get your ass back here!" and ran after the second man.

The sound of a helicopter cut through the air. Its bright white light danced on the ground almost strobe-like.

Booth caught up with the man quickly. He dove and knocked him off his feet. The knife tumbling away. Rage welled up in Booth as he punched him again, and again and again. Until finally Chaz grabbed him by the jacket and yelled into his face. Realizing Chaz was here with him, fear gripped him. _'Where's Temperance?'_ He heard scuffling off to his right. He moved like a juggernaut through the brush.

Temperance had holstered her weapon and finally caught up with the third man. She had been able to knock him off balance, and he had subsequently fallen to the ground. He got up and faced her. A smile coming to his face. He advanced on her. She timed her kick to his knee when he had his full weight on it. The sound of it dislocating filled the air with a loud _'Pop'_. On his way crashing to the earth, she jammed the palm of her hand into his nose, breaking it. And for good measure, the best roundhouse kick she had ever done connected with his jaw, shattering the hinge joints. He fell, motionless, save his breathing. She grabbed the back of his jacket and tried to pull him back towards the camp, but it was dead weight. "Booth!" She yelled.

As if on cue, he came crashing through the underbrush. He saw her, her hand on the back of the man's jacket, him hanging limply. She shook her head, "He's too heavy. I can't drag him back." He smiled.

* * *

When Cricket finally got to Jon, she sobbed. His right eye was swelling horribly, in just this short time. She saw the gash in his left forearm, running from just above the wrist to just below his elbow. Tams arrived at her side with a first aid kit. The most urgent was the wound to his arm. The women applied pressure bandages and wrapped his arm. Cricket held his head in her hands. She said to him, "Hang on, baby…we're here…hang on…"

Jon's arm wandered aimlessly. She could hear him gurgling through the blood, "In…the trees."

"What baby?" she leaned in closer.

"In the trees…" and then he lapsed into unconsciousness.

* * *

Booth dropped Georgie unceremoniously on the ground. He and Temperance looked around. "Everybody here?"

"Here," Chaz said coming up behind them dragging Tommy by one foot.

"We're here," Tams said. The three of them moved over to where Cricket was cradling and rocking Jon. "He's alive…but we gotta get him to a hospital."

The Tac Team and other backup began to arrive through the woods. Booth yelled, "We've got a man down. Need assistance…NOW!" Medical technicians made their way to work on Jon. Down the trail, they could see the flashing lights, hear the sirens of local and federal law enforcement, and rescue equipment.

Temperance said, "We need to get the Jeffersonian up here to comb this entire area." Booth nodded. "If we're lucky, we can find something tying the other bodies here…" She cut herself off when she caught sight of Chaz standing over the dead body. The dead body she helped to make dead. She swallowed heavily.

Booth took her hand and led her over to where Chaz stood. He was looking at the still blazing fire. Booth put his hand on his shoulder. "Your first one?"

Chaz nodded. Booth looked at Temperance. He squeezed her hand. She looked at him and nodded her head slightly. _'Again,'_ he thought. _'She had to kill someone…again.'_

To Chaz, Booth said, "I'm not going to say it'll get easier. Because it doesn't." Chaz turned to him. "Just remember, both of you," he turned to Chaz and then to Temperance, "If you hadn't, Jon would be dead now." Temperance folded herself into Booth's arms. Booth reached out with an arm and drew Chaz into the embrace. They stood there a few moments, comforting and being comforted.

* * *

Booth, Chaz and Temperance moved back to Cricket and Tams, standing on the outskirts of where the EMTs were working on Jon. Temperance held Cricket close for a few moments. She knew exactly what Cricket was going through. Although at the time it happened to her, she didn't know how important Seeley was to her. Now, she could understand the grief and anger.

After a few moments, Cricket composed herself. Wiping tears away she said, "Jon said something about the trees before he lost consciousness." Booth looked around. "I don't know which ones," she said. "But it must have been important for him to make sure we knew about it."

The FBI Forensics team had arrived on site and were cataloguing various bits of evidence. Light stanchions lit the scene in that ghostly blue-white illumination. Booth looked at the ground around the logs. "Hey! Can I get some photos of this?" A photographer came over and snapped a photo of some drawings in the dirt. "Stay with me, okay?" He asked the photographer, who replied with a nod. To the others he said, "Okay, Jon is sitting here."

"How do you know that?" Tams asked.

"See in the dirt here? These dots? This is a rendering of Polaris, the North Star."

"How do you know _that_?" asked Chaz.

"Jon and I go back a long way." He looked at Cricket and Temperance. "So, he's sitting here…looks like he's drawing in the dirt…remember when he went to go to the bathroom?" Booth looked diagonally towards his right. He pointed, "That stand of trees." Temperance bent down and looked at the drawing. Booth started moving towards the trees.

"How do you know that's the clump of trees?" Tams said

Temperance said, "There's an arrow pointing in that direction in this drawing."

They watched as Booth and the photographer reached the trees and started looking around. He stood straight up. He looked back at the group and smiled. The photographer took a couple of photos. Booth bent down, picked something up, and started walking back to the group.

"What did you find?" Temperance asked.

Booth held up a familiar-looking plastic bag. "Evidence bag. You're not gonna believe this," he said smiling. "Remember we said the undercover guy was good? Look what he left us."

In Booth's hands was a sealed evidence bag with an almost full bottle of Smirnoff's Vodka. The tax seal on the bottle was broken. "How much you want to bet it has these guys' and the clerks' fingerprints and there's rohypnol in the liquid?"

"Who is this guy?" Chaz whistled. "The Shadow?"

Temperance said, pointing at Chaz, "I know that one."

* * *

Jon was sent via LifeFlight to Bethesda. They first had to get him to a spot where the helicopter could land. It ended up being back on the main road. Because of space considerations, only one person could ride with him in the helicopter. The group decided it should be Cricket, his fiancé. That was their story and they were sticking to it.

The Special Agent in Charge on the scene collected Chaz's and Temperance's guns for ballistics tests. They were also going to have to give statements at the Bureau within the next couple of days. He and Booth had an on-site interview. Booth was here as backup and for tactical knowledge. No, Booth did not have a gun. Yes, Booth had pursued one of the alleged perps. Yes, he had subdued him with physical force. Did the alleged perp have a weapon? Yes, here it is in the evidence bag. When did they have probable cause? When they heard on the audio equipment Jon get hit and then groan. Also when the others joined in on the attempt to beat his friend to death…and do you have any more stupid questions?

The FBI had determined they would take the van into custody, so the remaining crew had to hitch rides back to DC with some of the other officers. Booth and Temperance sat in the back seat of a patrol car. "Wow," he said. "It's been a long time since I've been in the back of a squad car."

"When were you ever arrested?" Temperance asked.

"Back with the rollover."

"They arrested you for that?" She asked angrily.

"The charges were dropped once they realized I wasn't the driver." He looked at her, "What's the matter with you?"

"What?" she asked, turning to him.

"You seem, agitated," Booth asked, concerned.

"Where were you?"

"What? When?" Booth asked.

"When I was chasing that guy! I had to deal with him alone!"

"Wait a minute," Booth said, "I ran after the guy with the knife! If you want to yell at somebody, yell at Chaz. He followed me."

"And that's another thing," she said, "What are you doing chasing after a guy with a knife when you're unarmed?"

"He was the closest guy to me!" he said. "What did you want me to do? Run all the way over there to get somebody I knew you could handle."

"So you admit you left me alone on purpose. So you could be all alpha male and take out the guy with the knife."

"That wasn't alpha male. That was just choosing my targets well."

"You should have let me chase after him. After all, I had the gun."

"Chaz had a gun."

"So you knew Chaz would follow you, leaving me to contend with a perp by myself?" she continued, "I thought we were partners."

Booth saw the patrolman looking at them in the rear view mirror. "We _are_ partners."

"I thought partners are supposed to stick together." she said accusingly.

"I chased after the guy first…shouldn't you, as my partner, have followed me after that guy?"

"That wouldn't have made any sense. That would have meant three of us, two with guns, would have been chasing the same guy, while the other one would have gotten away."

Booth exhaled through his lips. He called up to the front, "How much longer till we get to DC?"

The patrolman called back, "About 45 minutes."

"Great…" Booth said.

Temperance looked at him, "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"


	42. After Action Report

Temperance and Booth entered the Emergency Room. "We've been here before," she said, and then sighed.

"Only thing is," Booth said, "you remember it. I don't." Looking around, they couldn't see Cricket anywhere. "Don't see her…they did say they were bringing him here, right?"

Temperance nodded. She looked towards the admitting clerk. "I don't know how much information we'll get out of her."

Booth set his credentials case in his jacket pocket, showing his badge. "Well, let's just see what we can see."

They moved over to stand in front of the clerk. She looked up. Seeing Temperance, in a FBI jacket and her companion, an actual FBI agent, she was genuinely taken aback. "Can I help you?"

Booth said, "Yes, I'm Special Agent Booth and this is Doctor Brennan, Can you direct me to where Agent Jon Smith is? He should have been brought in," Booth looked at his watch, "about an hour and a half ago."

The woman clicked a few keys on her keyboard. Looking at her computer screen, she said, "He is in Exam area 3." She pointed to a set of double doors. "Go through the doors, and it's the second exam area on the left."

"Thank you," Booth said and, with his hand in the small of her back, started guiding Temperance in that direction. Temperance smiled at the familiar feel.

As they got farther away, Temperance said, "That was a lot easier than last time."

Booth said, "Special Agent Seeley Booth…Special." They disappeared through the double doors.

* * *

Upon reaching the designated exam area, they turned and saw Cricket sitting by Jon's right bedside. She was holding his hand. Jon was a mess. His right eye swollen completely shut. Both of his cheeks were swollen as well, and beginning to show signs of severe bruising. A pressure bandage covered his left forearm. Both arms showed signs of a severe beating. The rest of him was covered by the hospital gown and blanket covering the lower half of his body.

"Who's that?" he said through bloodied lips. He turned his head to the right and sat up straighter.

Cricket looked at Booth and Temperance, tears wetting her eyes. But she smiled. "It's Booth and Temperance."

Jon relaxed and sat back, "You guys are okay? No injuries?"

'_What kind of people have I fallen in with?'_ Temperance thought. _'He's in a hospital bed, beaten half to death, and he's worried about us?'_ Her hand reached for Booth's. Her fingers became lost within his grasp.

"We're fine, buddy," Booth said. "When are you going to stop malingering and get back to work?"

Jon laughed. "Probably about the same time as you."

"The Doctors say there's no internal bleeding," Cricket said. "Outside of a few fractures and bruises here and there, he should be okay." She paused, "He may not be able to shoot with his left hand like he used to, but he's still alive." She turned to him and, moving her face closer to his left eye, she kissed his left cheek. "And that's all I care about….We're just waiting for the plastic surgeon for his arm."

"Can he do anything about his face?" Booth cracked.

"If he can, I was thinking about having my face look like an asshole." He turned towards Booth, "Can I borrow a photo of you?"

"I can see there wasn't much brain damage…but then again, there wasn't much there to damage.

Cricket interrupted, "That's enough boys…"

Jon turned to her, "But he got the last one in?"

"Enough," she said, firmly. Jon looked like he would pout.

"What about the case?" Jon asked. Booth squeezed Temperance's hand a couple of times. She looked at him and saw him nodding towards her.

Temperance said, "One of them is dead and the other two are in custody. They're probably someplace in this building."

"What did you do, Seel?" Jon asked, as a teacher to a pupil.

"Hey," Booth said, "The guy had a knife." Then, almost to justify his actions, "The one Bones caught is in much worse shape."

"Temperance…" Jon started, "Are you having trouble playing with others?"

"Dislocated knee, broken nose and a dislocation of the mandible…" she paused. "Well, it was only me…I had to take him down quickly."

"Where was Seel?"

"He and Chaz went after the other one."

Booth leaned in to her and said, "Don't start with this again."

Even though Jon could only see shapes and colors in his left eye, it seemed to Booth and Temperance he could see them clearly. The eye bore into them.

"Anyway," Temperance continued, "We've got the Jeffersonian doing an analysis of the scene to see if they can find anything to link the three bodies to it. Zack and Hodgins are also doing an analysis of the shoes and boots to match them up to the wounds on the bodies. We've got DNA samples from all three to see if we can match them to scrapings from the bodies as well. We found the liquor bottle, very smart, by the way, and they're working on prints and analysis of the liquid. We're also testing their hands for residue which will tell us who tampered with the vodka." Jon nodded. "And we've got the audio on the van equipment…"

"We also streamed it to another storage device," Cricket added. "Just in case something happened to the original."

Booth added, "We also found the knife," Temperance looked at Booth coolly, "that was used to cut you. We're matching blood traces and prints. And we're also trying to match prints on your weapon."

Jon nodded, "Who was the one who was killed?"

Temperance looked to the floor, "That would have been the guy called Jack," Booth answered.

Jon said, "I thought as much." He continued, "I don't think he was the mastermind, but he seemed pretty nasty." He sensed more than saw Temperance's unease. "I'm sorry you had to do it, Temperance," she nodded. He added, "But would you rather be standing here talking to him or me?"

She looked at him, and then smiled, "You of course."

"Sounds like we've got a pretty good case," Jon said. The group nodded. "Only need one thing more…" the three looked from one to the other. "Photos."

"Didn't the hospital already take photos?" Booth asked.

Jon nodded, "Yes…but we need our own…we may need to convince some others just what nasty pieces of work they are…or were." He paused. "Temperance, you go to the gift shop and buy a couple of those disposable cameras. Booth, you're going to take the photos, get them printed and then hold on to them." He seemed to look from Cricket to Temperance, "Because I'm shy, Booth is going to take the photos. I want you two to go have a couple of cups of coffee."

"But…" Cricket started.

"Please," he said. "This is important. This is my last case. I don't want to leave anything to chance."

"Last case?" Booth said.

Jon nodded, "I'm getting too old for this crap." He held out his hand for Cricket. She took it and held it to her face. "After this, and you getting back on with the Bureau, Seel, all I want to do is watch the sunrise and sunset on my boat with my wife." He turned his head to Cricket. "If she'll have a broken down wreck like me, that is?"

Cricket sobbed and nodded her head, "Yes…yes…a thousand times yes." She eased herself into his arms, mindful of his injuries.

Seeley and Temperance looked at each other and quietly embraced.

* * *

Cricket and Temperance sat across from each other in one of the cafeteria's booths. Both seemed lost in her own thoughts, staring into coffee cups. Temperance looked at Cricket, "Congratulations," she said finally.

Cricket smiled, "Thanks, even though you don't approve."

Surprised, Temperance said, "What? Of course, I approve. You and Jon make a great couple. I could see that the first day we met, out on his boat."

"No," Cricket said. "That's not what I meant. It's marriage in general that you don't approve of."

"It just seems so…overly romantic," Temperance said. "One man, one woman…they find each other and live happily ever after."

Cricket nodded, "When you put it that way, then yes it is. But that's not the way it really is." Temperance looked at her, intrigued. "I mean, so many people have this idea of 'Soul Mates' destined to be together." She said the words cynically. She continued, "A man and a woman who are 'Soul Mates' once they're together, don't have to work hard to make anything work, because it's perfect. He knows exactly what she needs, exactly when she needs it. She is understanding and willing to allow him to be the manly-man. they don't need to communicate anything to each other. They just _know_. And of course, they look absolutely beautiful, by themselves as well as together." She paused. "And it's all rubbish." Temperance looked shocked. "I call it the 'Ross and Rachel' and 'Sleepless in Seattle' syndrome. Everything is perfect once these two people are together."

"I don't know those references," Temperance shook her head. "So what's real life?" she said, sipping her coffee.

"Real life is dirty, ugly and mean,' Cricket said. "Just look at what happened last night." Surprised, Temperance saw Cricket begin to smile, "But it's also Sunflowers and rainbows. Laughter and joy. Passion and ecstasy. It's easy to be in love when things are going good. Real love…real love is staying together when you're so mad you can't stand looking at each other. Because if you really love one another, eventually that anger over this or that goes away. You see that the important thing is him, or her. Sometimes it means taking their burdens on your shoulders. Sometimes it's them taking yours. It's not what you receive. Wanting to bring joy and laughter to your partner is the object of Love. Becoming one with your partner is the endgame of Love."

"So why do most marriages fail?"

"Because people want it easy. They're lazy. The effort they wish to put into it isn't worth staying together. A lot of them marry for the wrong reasons. When lust fades all that's left is a cold, charred remnant. Love doesn't fade. It needs constant stoking, constant tending. But it's worth it. Most people either don't want to put the effort in, or are afraid to offer that much of themselves up to the other. They don't trust themselves, or their partners."

"And you trust Jon?"

"With everything I am or will ever be." Cricket said. "Isn't it the same for you and Booth?"

Temperance smiled, and shrugged. Changing the subject, "Have you two talked about marriage before this?"

Cricket's eyes lit up, "Oh yes! What it would be like…big…small…would I still work…would he still work…."

'Have you two discussed pre-nuptial agreements?

"He never asked me for one. I asked him if he wanted to draw one up."

"And he said no?" Temperance asked.

"We both figured, why go into it thinking it will be a failure. That's basically what it is. When the marriage fails, this is who gets what. We're not thinking like that. For us, this is the last marriage for either of us."

"You've been married before?"

Cricket nodded, "Widowed…cancer."

"I'm sorry," Temperance said.

"It happened a number of years ago," Cricket said. "But thank you."

"So," Temperance said, smiling, "No more first dates, no more small talk…"

Cricket smiled, "I won't miss the small talk. But we have so much to learn about each other. I'm looking forward to it. As far as first dates, we still haven't had ours. I'm looking forward to that too. Of course, he may be a little disappointed."

"Why's that?"

"I don't put out on the first date." Temperance looked at her, surprised. Then the two began laughing.

* * *

"Do you want to come up?" Temperance asked.

Seeley made no move to switch off the engine. "No…I'm sure you need to get some work done. I might just be a distraction."

'_Oh, Oh. What's going on here?'_ she thought. "No…you wouldn't be a distraction. I wouldn't mind your company at all."

"I've got some things I need to do, as well." He said.

"Well, would you mind if I tagged along?"

"I…I don't think I'd be very good company."

"You don't have to entertain me, you know." Temperance said softly.

"I know…I just think I need to be alone for a little while." He wouldn't look at her. "Get some things straight in my head."

"Are we okay?" she asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"Yeah…" he said. "With everything that happened last night…I just need to be alone with it for awhile.

She sat back, facing forward. "You're not going to do anything you'll regret, will you?"

"No," he said, barely above a whisper.

"Okay," she opened the door and slid out. She didn't see Seeley started to call her back. As she stood on the garage floor, she looked back at him. "If you need anything, call me. Outside of the hospital, I'm not going anywhere."

He nodded. She shut the door and watched as he drove away.

* * *

Jon was resting in his room. The medication was dulling the pain from the bruises, fractures and lacerations. He wasn't tired. He knew the pain was there. He just didn't care.

"Aren't you getting a little old to be doing this crap?" Jon recognized the deep voice.

"Sam? Is that you?"

Cricket and Chaz looked toward the door and saw the Deputy Director enter. They both stood up as he neared the foot of the bed. He waved them to sit back down. "Helluva case you and your team have put together. This thing should be a slam dunk."

Jon nodded, "They did a great job."

"As did you. I'm thinking of putting you all in for commendations." Cricket and Jon could barely hold their surprise. "I'm going to talk to the federal prosecutor to see if we can attach a "Hate Crime" charge to it."

"Don't get your hopes up," Jon said. "In this PC area it'll take a prosecutor with some guts just to bring it up."

Cricket saw Temperance standing in the doorway. "Dr. Brennan…what's wrong."

"Nothing," she lied. "I can come back later." She started to turn to leave, but was stopped by Cullen's strong hands.

He drew her into the room, "What is it? Did something happen with Booth?"

Temperance struggled whether to share this much of herself with the group. Cricket went to her. "What is it Temperance?" She stood there in misery.

"Temperance," Jon said softly, "What did he say?"

As usual, Jon could cut directly to the heart of the matter. "I thought we had gotten so close. Now he's pushing me away again. I think he's picked up more guilt from last night. Thinking he should have been the one undercover."

"What got him going?" Jon asked softly.

"I don't know," she said, "he was okay until he came back from taking the photos." Temperance couldn't tell exactly, but it looked like Jon was angry. Which was saying something considering his pain medications.

"I think," she added, "he may be afraid the FBI will sever our partnership if we…" she didn't know how to say it to them, "get together."

Cullen looked at Jon. He turned back to Temperance, "Okay…I'm going to do the talking here, but what I'm going to say, with the addition of a few specifics, I heard a long time ago from our friend in the bed over here."

He looked in Temperance's eyes, "The Bureau will not sever Booth's and your partnership." She looked at him confused. "You don't work for the Bureau. You work for the Jeffersonian. The Bureau doesn't dictate who is assigned to work with Booth from the Jeffersonian. They do. We don't care who he works with as long as the cases get cleared. The only thing we would do is request another anthropologist if the agent were to request it. Do you think he would?"

The idea whirled around in her head, "Only if he thought I would be in danger." She thought a moment, "Why did we have to go through therapy then...under threat of severing our partnership?"

"That was the interim Director's doing. Not mine. So we can get that issue off the table. As far as the other," he looked at Jon, and then turned back to Temperance. "Would you die for him?"

Without hesitation, "Yes."

"If he's lost, would you go find him?"

"Yes."

"Would you fight for him?"

"Yes."

"He's lost. He's hurt. He needs someone to fight for him."

"But who am I to fight? Tell me who I need to fight to keep him safe. To protect him."

She looked to Jon, then Chaz, then Cricket. She saw in her eyes what she needed to see. _'Real Life is dirty, ugly and mean'_…_'Love takes stoking and tending.'_ … _'Sometimes it means taking their burdens on your shoulders'_

She looked into Cullen's eyes, "Thank you," she kissed his cheek. She turned to the rest, "Thank you." Wiping her eyes, she turned and left. Preparing for the fight of her life.

"Think it'll work?" Cullen asked after she had gone.

Jon leaned back, exhaustedly. "I hope so," he shook his head, "I'm getting too old for this."

Chaz took out his cell and began punching buttons. Jon turned to him, "Who do you think you're calling?"

Chaz started, "Don't you think we should warn…"

Cricket removed the phone from his hands as Jon said, "In a couple years, when we're all talking about this. It'll be much funnier this way."

"That's just mean," Chaz said.

* * *

Temperance stopped at her house to pick up an item. She didn't bother to check her messages. If she had, she would have seen Seeley had called four times. She hurried out the door and sped to his apartment.

Standing outside his door, she took a couple of deep breaths. Steeling herself, she knocked on the door. Her eyes were glued to the doorknob. She heard the chain disengage and the deadbolt slide open. The knob turned and the door began to open.


	43. Heart's Desire

**A / N:** **_Warning_**: Some mild violence, some sensuality

* * *

Seeley opened the door to find Temperance standing there. "Bones! What are you…" he never got a chance to finish his question as she slapped him, hard. His head was thrown violently to the right and a white light clouded his vision.

She stormed past him into his apartment. "I'm trying to get your attention!" she said loudly.

He closed the door, "About what?" he was genuinely confused.

She moved back over to the door; locked it and put the chain on. Hitting him again, "What are you trying to do? Why are you so scared of being close?"

Seeley responded, loudly, "You know why. With my job being high risk…" another slap cut him off. He bravely continued on, "You've seen how people around me are hurt. Look at Jon from last night. I don't want to put you in that kind of danger."

"Stop it!" she yelled. "That's just an excuse. I'm a big girl. I can make that kind of decision for myself. If I wanted to be safe, I'd stay in bed all day. All of life is a risk. I could get hit by a bus walking to the diner. Would it be your fault if I did?"

"If you were coming to meet me…" his head was rocketed back by another roundhouse to his jaw.

"Not everything in this world is within your control," she shouted. "If I, or Jon, or Angela, or anybody else dies, unless you pull the trigger, it's not your fault!" She slapped his chest with an open hand. "Stop using it as an excuse to shut yourself off from me."

Seeley leaned in and yelled into her face, "What do you want from me?"

Full-throated, she yelled right back, "I want to know what you feel!"

"I Love you!" he yelled. His breath causing her hair to move. "Is that what you want to hear? I Love you…" and then softer, "but I don't know how to hold on to your Love. I don't know if I can make you happy."

"What do you mean? Hold on to my Love?"

"I mean, Yes…it's all fine and new and hot and wonderful when we're together now. But don't you think someday you'll tire of me? Sooner of later there will be somebody who will be smarter, more intelligent, and he'll intrigue you more than I can."

Incredulously, she lifted her hands to cup her face and said softly, "And you think I'll go, Seeley?"

She could see the fear in his eyes as he said, "Won't you? Wouldn't staying with me be holding you back from a more interesting, fulfilling life? Wouldn't you eventually wish for something more? Something I can't give you? Something better?"

She realized, her heart aching, this wasn't about protecting her. He had been alone, without the love of a family just as long as she. She had to make him understand.

"Better?" she said, "Before you, I had walled myself up in my own little fortress. Everybody I had cared about had left me. I had been betrayed, by them…by life. I used men like you would use a tissue. Once they served their purpose, I didn't' need them anymore." She took his head in her hands. Looking into his eyes, "And then you came along. Tapping along the rock and mortar I had surrounded myself with." She shook her head, "I was terrible to you. I insulted you, derided your dreams, beliefs and hopes, thought you inferior to my intellectual accomplishments…and you stayed. I didn't know why. I didn't care. Then, my life was turned upside down. I was frightened … scared …and you stayed. You took what fears you could away, and taught me how to face the rest." Tears began filling her eyes, "I found out my family is made up of a bunch of criminals. Directly opposed to what you hold paramount…and still you stayed. You showed me it's okay to love. Even those who have hurt you. You stayed…you never left me. And when you were shot," the tears fell, "and I thought I had lost you, I realized nothing else in the world mattered. Do you understand? Nothing."

"Seeley, being with you has opened my life to the rest of the world. Before you, all I thought about was death and dying and bones. You've given me a purpose more than just identifying those who have been lost. That's important, yes. But you found me when I was lost within my narrow world. You showed me what living was all about."

He moved her hands from cradling his face. "Temperance, you deserve someone who can help you make a difference in people's lives," he said softly. "Someone who will challenge you intellectually. Someone who…"

"Wasn't a sniper?" she challenged. "Someone who took lives?"

He nodded, "Yes…I don't deserve you. I have a debt to pay."

"Well, when will that debt be paid?" she challenged him. "How long do I need to wait?" She stood up and crossed her arms. Shrugging her shoulders, she asked, "Is that what you want? For me to go away until you deem yourself worthy?" She moved her hands to her hips. "If you push me away, at least tell me when I can come back," she said ironically.

In agony, his hands balled into fists on the sides of his head, he shouted, "No!" He continued, "I don't want you to go away! I want to stay with you...forever. When I'm not with you my life is empty. This house is empty. I imagine you and I living here, together. I'd tell myself it's because I wanted another heartbeat around the house. But that's all a lie. You bring radiance and clarity to the pale, gauzy view I see without you. I hear your voice and it's like a sweet melody echoing through my head, calling me home." Dejectedly, he said, "I have to ask myself why settle for me when you can have so much more? When you deserve so much more?"

Amazed at his easy use of poetic imagery, Temperance put her palms on her cheeks and, moving closer, softly said, "If you think I'm such a terrific woman, and I deserve all the best out of life, don't you think I deserve to have my choice?"

"Why would you choose me? I…"

"Killed your best friend's family," she said matter-of-factly. Seeley nodded, looking at the floor. "But don't you see? You didn't kill them. Those gang members who did the drive-by were the ones who killed Jon's wife and little girls. Don't you understand? Coming after you, _saved_ his life." Booth looked at her. "If he wasn't looking for you, he would have died right alongside them. And where would you be then? If you survived that hellhole at all, you would probably be right here, just like you are now, cursing yourself for not being there to protect and save him."

Seeley shook his head, "I'd be dead. My gambling would have gotten me killed."

"I'm not saying I want a degenerate gambler, but whatever happened to that guy? Where is he now, when he can make the biggest gamble of his life?" Seeley saw the smile that captured his heart so long ago. "The man I'm in love with isn't afraid to try…He isn't afraid to live," she implored.

"You Love me?"

"YES!" she yelled into his face. "What do you think I've been trying to tell you? I want our children to have the best of the intellectual world, along with the best of the feeling, empathetic world." She continued, as though explaining a theorem, "In my logical estimation, there is no one better than you." She paused a moment, and then said firmly, "But I want our children to have a confident outlook on life. To know there are some things they cannot change. And to carry unnecessary guilt is a waste of Life…and Love."

"You…you want my children? Since when? You've always been against having children?"

"And I still am," she agreed, nodding her head. "I see men and women everyday who have no business being parents. But with you as our children's' father, they can't help but make it a better world." She grabbed his shirt, forcing him to look into her eyes. "That will be our greatest legacy. More than books, or arrest records, or any of the other, transitory works that make up our lives."

She released the fabric of his shirt, keeping her hands on his chest, "Don't you think it's time to put away the balance sheet? The reckoning has already taken place. The bad stuff you think you did," she tilted her head from side to side, "maybe it wasn't so bad. You killed bad men, who would have done more evil in the world. Since you've been in the Bureau, you've done much more good. Just in the three years we've been partners, you've saved countless victims by putting away evil doers before they could wreak havoc on more innocent people's lives."

She could see he was coming around. He sunk onto the couch. Taking a place next to him, she continued, "Maybe the scales have shifted, with us holding a credit balance. Maybe what we have now and what we can become are rewards for those good works."

He took her hands in his. Looking down, he said softly, "I can't guarantee I'll never think about these things again."

'_He's almost there,'_ she thought. She said, "There are no guarantees in life. All I want is your word, that when you feel yourself drifting in that direction, you'll let me take some of the weight off your shoulders." She pulled his hands to her chest, "We can do this, together."

He nodded and looked to her, his eyes wet. "And I'll do the same for you?"

She looked into his eyes. _'So this is what 'Hope' looks like in his eyes,'_ she thought. She stood up and moved towards his audio equipment. Seeley held onto her right hand. When she realized she couldn't reach what she was after and still hold Seeley's hand, she turned to him, "Trust me…I'm not going anywhere." He let go. Temperance pressed the _Power_ buttons, energizing the equipment. A soft, green glow enveloped the living room. She removed the CD from her jacket pocket. Her heart thrumming, she loaded it into the player and turned back to Seeley. Removing her jacket, Temperance moved back to him and held Seeley's hands. The beginning guitar chords of Maroon 5's "Secret" filled the room. "We've been dancing around this for months…years." She gently pulled him to his feet. Her eyes never leaving his gaze, she implored with a sigh, "Dance _with_ me tonight."

They gently swayed to the music. Seeley burrowed his face into her neck and gently nuzzled the spot where her neck met her head, just under her ear. She bent her neck to give him easier access. She could feel his breath lightly tattoo her skin. As he raised his head past her ear, she could hear his low, rough breath escape his lips. His hot breath on her ear fired off goose bumps marching from her neck to her spinal cord. Her hands traveled up and down his sides, finally grabbing the fabric of his shirt in her hands and pulling the tee up over his head. As he completed the task of removing his shirt, she buried her face in the center of his chest, kissing, open-mouthed, his delicious skin. Her fingers traced his ribs as her hands moved down to rest firmly on the outside of his hips.

His hands moved up her sides and took position just under the junction of her arms and torso. Effortlessly, he picked her up, burying his face in the furrow between her breasts. She wished she hadn't worn her bra and that he had removed her shirt. She wanted to feel his skin upon hers. He turned, spinning her slowly, her hands behind his head, cradling him, his face buried in her chest. She arched her back, drinking in the sensations of his touch.

He allowed her to slide slowly down until her feet touched the floor. Her arms tracing their way down his muscular arms. The friction between their two bodies had caught her top and pulled it free from her jeans, the spaghetti straps still keeping it in place. His hands reached for her waist and turned her back to him. She leaned back into his body. Her arms reaching back to rest her hands on his legs, below his buttocks. She pulled his lower abdomen into her. His mouth found the top of her shoulder and as he moved his head the length of her shoulder from neck to arm, his hands found the unrestrained fabric of her top. As he lifted the fabric, she raised her arms straight into the air. The shirt slid free easily.

As he dropped the material, his hands found her mid-section. He could feel her stomach muscles involuntarily contract, release and contract again at his touch. She whimpered as her arms reached back between them and angled up to catch his belt. She could feel his heart beating as she arched her back into his chest. She worked the mechanism of the belt, and slowly slid it out of its loops. She dropped it onto the floor. A low moan rumbled from his chest as she pressed her lower abdomen back into him.

His hands slid to her sides and angled up to her back. She felt him searching for the eyelets and hooks for her bra. She smiled and leaned forward at the waist to let him see he was searching in the wrong place. She breathlessly whispered, "It's in front, Seeley." The movement pushed her buttocks deeper into him. He leaned forward, placing his chest fully upon her back. His arms dove under her arms and curled back up, his hands upon her shoulders. He stood back up, pulling her with him. She leaned her head to the left, allowing him access to her neck and ear. His arms encircled her waist. He burrowed his face to the back of her ear and softly kissed the juncture where the ear joins her head. Her arms pressing against his. Her hands grasping the back of his hands. She directed his strong hands up, towards her breasts. With an almost comical ease, his hand grasped the clasp holding her two cups in place and smoothly slid the clasp apart. His tongue darted toward the ear junction. Her knees weakened and breath escaped from her in a shudder. The fabric of her bra still resting on her breasts, she moved his hands to caress her skin just below them. She couldn't stand any more. She had to have his skin against her breasts. The song was beginning to wind down.

She turned to face him; she moved the lace out of the way and pressed her breasts into his chest. Jolts of electricity traveled from every place he touched her to her spine. Her arms encircled him; she bent her arms at the elbows and angled her forearms straight up his back. She dug her nails into his upper back. She leaned backwards, raking her nails gently down his muscular back. Her pelvis pressed into him as she began to lean further and further backwards. His hands held onto her sides, lest she fall. Her hands tracing the strong arms holding her. She stood up, her breathing heavy. Temperance's arms reached up, her hands linking behind Seeley's head. Her skin seemed to sear at Seeley's touch. She kissed his chest softly. The touch of her lips sent waves of pleasure through his body. His arms reached around and pulled her closer to him. He could feel her soft breath on his skin. She looked up into his eyes. "Tell me your heart's desire," she whispered.

He looked into the tear-filled pools of her eyes, "I...I want to break the laws of physics."

Trembling, she said softly, "I want to be your partner in crime."

Their lips touched, softly at first…and then more insistent. Temperance's lips parted slightly, accepting Seeley's hesitant, probing tongue. He broke the kiss, his heart pounding in his ears, his breathing, coarse. He leaned in towards her. Her lips rose to meet him in an almost insistent joining. Her tongue urgently pushing into his mouth. Their lips parting, they stood together a moment, breathing heavily, waiting for the room to stop spinning. Seeley leaned down; keeping his left arm behind her back, he moved his right arm behind her knees, lifting Temperance into his arms. Her arms, still locked around his neck, she pulled herself closer and kissed him again. Leaning back, she moved her hand to caress his face. He walked towards his bedroom, never looking elsewhere than her eyes. He lay her down gently on the bed. "I Love You," he said, strong, unwavering.

"I Love You," she said confidently, without reservations.

* * *

Standing there in only a pair of dark blue shorts, Seeley rinsed off the plates and cooking utensils from breakfast and then placed them into the dishwasher. He looked up and saw her standing in the rays of sunlight filtering through the window. _'She looks like an Angel,'_ Seeley thought, studying her as she wandered around the apartment, drinking in all of the memorabilia of his life. She was wearing one of his dress shirts, the sleeves rolled up, her legs materializing from somewhere underneath. She also wore a pair of his white socks, bunched up around her ankles. Her hair, hung straight and luxurious, the ends dusting her shoulders and back. She turned, and caught him staring. She held the coffee cup in both hands and raised it to her lips. She took a sip.

"What did I tell you about ogling women?" she smiled.

"I'd think you would be pleased that I thought you worth ogling." He retorted.

Her smile grew wider. She turned back to the framed artwork of the woman knighting a man in chain mail armor. She reached out and gently touched the brushstrokes.

"The Accolade," Seeley said. She looked at him quizzically. He repeated, "It's called 'The Accolade' by Edmund Blair Leighton."

She turned back to the painting, "It's beautiful." She paused and said, "You know, we're going to need a bigger place."

"Huh?" Seeley said.

Temperance explained, "Well, this place isn't big enough for all of my stuff…and my place isn't big enough for your stuff." She looked at him. "We're going to need a bigger place."

Seeley looked at her skeptically. "Are you talking about moving in together?

"What was it you said? _'Another heartbeat around the house'_?" Seeley nodded. "Well, you're right. Except I want the heartbeat to be yours."

Seeley smiled, "What about Angela's _'Six Stages of a Relationship'_?"

Temperance began counting them off, "Well, we've already spent the night together," she stuck her index finger in the air. "We've spent the weekend together," Her two fingers made the "Victory" sign. "We've exchanged keys," a third finger raised.

"What?" Booth cried. "When did we do that?

"Oh," she remembered she hadn't told him, "I guess me having a copy of your apartment key made so I could check on you when you were hurt doesn't count. Or maybe it only counts as half."

Seeley, almost shamefacedly, picked up his key ring from his counter by one key. "I had it made back when Epps escaped." A look of astonishment filled Temperance's face.

"So that's number three," she said triumphantly, raising three fingers again. "We'll just be jumping over two stages if we move in together."

"What about stage 4, the sexy weekend getaway and stage 5, an extended vacation?" Booth asked. "Don't you want to see how those go?"

"Definitely," she nodded her head vigorously. "I want lots of them. But nothing says they have to stop once we move in together…or that we can't take the stages out of sequence."

Seeley said sarcastically, "Heck…why don't we just skip the rest of the stages and just get married?"

"I accept."

"Huh?" Booth said.

"If that's a marriage proposal, I accept."

Booth looked dumbstruck, "What? No…I mean…"

"What's the matter? Cold feet? Having problems with commitment?" she teased.

The room seemed to be spinning for Seeley. "Where's all this coming from?" he said, genuinely wondering if Temperance hadn't been replaced by a doppelganger. "Love…children…moving in together…marriage…these are all things you didn't believe in a couple of months ago."

"I've had an epiphany," she said. "It started the more we worked together. Then it grew as we became closer and closer. When you were shot," she closed her eyes and paused momentarily. She moved closer to stand next to him at the counter, "I saw what my life would be like without you. And I didn't like it. Then, talking to Cricket the other night and yesterday, it just made sense."

"But…" Seeley started.

She shook her head, "I'm not saying we should run off and do it now," she looked into his eyes, "I'm saying I want to…someday. When we're both ready." Booth turned and walked into his bedroom. _'I've frightened him,'_ Temperance thought. _'Who would have thought __I__ could push him away by moving too quickly?'_

He returned from the bedroom. She recognized the determined look on his face. Seeley moved close to Temperance and put his hand on her waist. Leaning in, he kissed her softly. He set a small black velvet box on the counter. Temperance looked at him. "Open it," he said softly. She raised the lid to reveal a marquis-cut diamond in a plain gold band. "I know it doesn't have anything to do with dolphins. It was my mother's." Temperance looked at Seeley, tears wetting her eyelashes. "Actually, it was my mother's mother's mother's." He paused. "For when you you're ready."

She slid her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. Afterwards, she removed the ring from the case, "It's beautiful."

Seeley went back to loading the dishwasher. The phone rang. Temperance looked at him. He nodded and said, "Are you going to get that?"

She moved to the phone, sliding the ring on her left ring finger, she picked the handset up, "Booth residence." Seeley smiled.

Angela's voice came through the receiver, "Booth residence, huh?" Angela smiled and then continued mockingly, "Am I speaking to the lady of the house?"

Temperance smiled, "Hello Angela," her eyes locked with Seeley's across the apartment. She moved the phone over to her left ear.

Angela noticed a quality in her friend's voice she had not heard in a very long time. Smiling, she said, "We were just wondering, since it's 10:30 now, if you were planning on coming in today. Of course," she said slyly, "if you're not feeling well…"

Temperance smiled broadly, "I feel magnificent, Angela." Seeley gave her a mock surprised look. She coyly brushed her right foot with her left and rotated her body slightly back and forth. "But I won't be in today." She looked directly at Seeley; He walked over to her.

"Oh really?" Angela said.

From behind, Seeley wrapped his arms around Temperance's waist and pulled her closer to him. "Yes…as a matter of fact," she leaned her head to the left, exposing more of her neck to Seeley, "I'm not going to make it in the rest of the week."

"Sweetie, today is Tuesday," came Angela's voice.

Seeley nuzzled the side of her neck and gently tugged her ear lobe with his teeth, "I know," Temperance said, smiling, her eyes fluttering. She hit the End button and dropped the handset onto Seeley's couch. She turned in his arms, sliding her arms over his shoulders. He kissed her softly, but firmly.

Their lips parted, "So much for us keeping this a secret," Seeley said.

She traced her nose the length of his, their lips almost touching again, "As if you really wanted to." She breathed into his mouth. He caught her bottom lip with his teeth and gently tugged.

"Are you thinking of becoming a repeat offender?" he said.

Her right leg reached around and began caressing the back of his legs. Temperance moved her lips and gently squeezed his chin between her teeth. She released his chin and leaning back slightly pressed his lips onto the junction between her neck and chest.

Eyes closed, smiling at his response, she cooed, "You know us Brennans. We're career criminals."


	44. Lovers' Concertos

**A/N:** For those who have not heard the song noted in my last chapter (Heart's Desire) (Secret by Maroon 5). It can be found by going to the video website and doing a search for Mitoch55 as the user. The name is Secret - The Long Road Home.

My thanks to everyone who has read and enjoyed this fic. It's not done yet, so don't worry. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has read it and also those who have posted reviews.

If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. Amazingly, it's titled, "The Long Road Home Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, go to Forums / TV / Bones and then do a sort by Topic Count. It should be somewhere in the listing.

* * *

Seeley and Temperance walked out to his car. Her left hand automatically slipped inside his as they walked, without either of them breaking stride or otherwise displaying awkwardness. So comfortable with the display of affection, they felt as though they had been doing it for years. Even Temperance, who had privately chided others for such an open display, found it somehow comforting to display to the rest of the world their attachment to one another. At times, she found herself actively searching for his hand while walking, or just standing close in a store's checkout line. She told herself disappointedly, _'Once we get back to work, we'll have to cut down on this.'_ Then she reminded herself, _'At least in social situations we can still paw each other as much as we want.'_ She smiled at the thought of that.

She had always thought he would make a good lover. Strike that, a good sex partner. He had all the markers, muscular - although not overwhelming so, physical attractiveness – he would have been able to garner experience, empathetic – his knack for knowing what others need would hold him in good stead in the bedroom as well as the interrogation room. But he was right. Making Love was much better. They _had_ broken the Laws of Physics. They _had_ become One. He had taken her to places she had never heard of before, let alone been there. Lost in her thoughts, she smiled more expansively.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he said.

She looked at him and realized she was smiling broadly. Somewhat embarrassed, she pulled his hand lightly and said, "I don't know if I can say it in public," she looked into his eyes. "Would you arrest me for 'public lewdness'?"

He smiled, pulling her hand he said, "Maybe you can tell me later…" He felt his mother's ring press into his finger. Her ring now. Surprised, he raised their hands, to see the ring on her finger. "You're wearing it out in public?"

"I didn't think you wanted us to be some deep, dark secret."

"I don't," he said. "Are you kidding me?" he paused. "I just…what are you going to tell people when they ask?"

"I was thinking about the truth," she said as though it were perfectly obvious. "Why? What were _you_ going to tell people?"

"The truth…" he agreed. "But I just thought you would want me to ask you right…make it a more romantic story."

She stopped. He turned and looked at her. "My God, Seeley…You're right. How embarrassing it would be for me to tell people that you asked me to marry you, and you gave me a family heirloom, your great-grandmother's engagement ring…What could I have been thinking?"

He accepted the sarcasm in good humor. "What I meant was, Angela's going to want to know the details. How's it going to sound? _'Well, we were discussing moving in together…and then the conversation went to your Six stages of a Relationship…and Booth kind of half-heartedly said, Why don't we just get married?'_"

Temperance dropped his hand. Her face widened with astonishment. "Half-hearted?" she asked with a hardening tone. "You mean you _didn't_ really mean it? You don't want to marry me?" She crossed her arms.

In a panic, Seeley tried to take her in his arms. She wouldn't accept it, spinning out of his grasp. "Of course I want to marry you." He pleaded.

She waved her arm at him, "How do I know you're not just going along with it…like when Rebecca became pregnant?" she paused. "Or you're going along with it because you're a 'man of your word?' You said it and I took you up on it, so now you're stuck." She pulled the ring off her finger.

Seeley came closer; he placed her fingers, still holding the ring in the palm of his hand. He looked at her; fear swimming in his eyes, "Don't do this Temperance," he pleaded. "Don't throw this away because I misspoke."

Looking at Seeley, her heart broke. But she adamantly kept up the pretense and said, "How can I be sure?"

"I'll do anything, Temperance," he implored. "If you leave me…after what we've just been through," he got on his knees before her, "It will be like condemning a blind man who's had his sight restored, to an eternity of darkness."

By God! He took her breath away.

He continued, "I've loved you ever since I can remember. Even that first day, at the Jeffersonian, I thought I was walking into a dungeon. When I saw you, it became bright and airy. Through the years, I've wanted so much to tell you how I felt, but I never could. Through all the dangers, I've wanted to protect you. Is that so terrible? Is it so bad to protect the daisy from the frost? Or the songbird from the hawk? I cursed myself all through the other men in your life. I wanted you. More than you can know…more than you can dream. Yours is the first voice I want to hear in the morning, and the last I want to hear at night. Yeah, we could do that by phone, but I want to be able to turn over and hold you while I'm whispering 'I Love You'. Please…be my wife…for the rest of my life, and beyond if it exists."

Temperance looked at him, on his knees in front of her, holding the ring out to her. She almost felt guilty when she took the ring and, as she slid it back onto her finger she said, "There…I'll tell Angela that's how you proposed." She smiled at him and reached out to help him up, "Come on, baby. You'll get your pants dirty."

A shocked expression covered Seeley's face. He lightly batted her hand away. "That's just mean." Standing up, he said, accusingly, "This was all a game to you? What kind of person are you? Playing with people's emotions for your own amusement?"

Seeing his expression, Temperance thought she may have gone too far, "Seeley, I…" she started.

Choking back a response, he cut her off. He waved her off and turned to face away from her. Almost in a panic, she grabbed his elbow and tried to turn him to face her. He was too strong, so she stepped around in front of him and saw him…smiling. "Ah – ha!" he said, pointing his finger. "How do you like it?" He continued, "Doesn't feel very good having your emotions toyed with, does it?"

Seeley could see her readying a spiteful retort when he saw the mischievous glint come to her eyes. Her body relaxed as she said, "We could do this all day, you know?"

"You mean going back and forth pretending we were really angry at each other?" She nodded. Taking her in his arms, he leaned in and kissed her firmly. She pressed herself into him.

Afterwards, they continued walking, hand-in-hand towards the car. "So what _are_ you going to tell people?" Seeley asked.

"I'll ask if they want the romantic one or the logical one."

"So, which one's your favorite?" Seeley asked, opening the passenger side door to his SUV.

Temperance climbed in. "I like them both." Seeley closed her door. She waited until he had opened his door and began climbing it until she said, "We should do that every week." She looked at him. "Next week it's my turn to propose."

* * *

They walked through the hospital room door. Sunlight filtered in from the window. Jon was propped up in the hospital bed. Somehow, the swelling in his eye had gone down dramatically and he turned his head to see them as they entered. A smile came readily to his face. Cricket, seated next to his bedside, held his hand. She smiled at Booth and Temperance as well.

"Wow!" Booth exclaimed. "The swelling is almost gone!"

"Yeah," Jon said, "I finally convinced the doctors to drain it so that I could see."

Booth did a fair impersonation of Rocky Balboa, _'Cut me, Mick. You gotta cut me.'_

Jon laughed and nodded his head, "Yeah, that was kind of like how it sounded." He continued, "But these guys inserted this needle…" he started.

Temperance's face took on a sickly appearance, she moved towards the window and let out a queasy, "That's okay…I think you can tell Booth about it later."

Booth looked at her, surprised, "You see and handle decomposing bodies almost every day."

"But there's just something about a needle going into somebody's eye that just…" she shivered and shook her head.

Jon said, "But it didn't actually go into the eye. It just went into…"

Cricket started to shiver as well, "That's enough, Jon." She turned to Temperance and Booth, "It gives me the heebie jeebies too." She turned to Jon, "I'm just glad they did it while I was gone."

"How do you feel otherwise?" Temperance asked.

Jon said, "Well, I've got three cracked ribs, a few fractures around my orbital socket, my eyesight should be okay after awhile, lots of bruises, and…" he raised his left arm, showing the pressure bandages on his forearm. "I've got a six-inch gash on my arm." His face brightened, "No nerve damage, though. The doctors tell me if I take it easy, I can go home in a couple of days."

"Yeah," Booth noted, "those bruises are turning some nice shades of purple, yellow and blue."

A spark of light flashed onto Jon's face. Temperance tried to hold her hand still, but it crept up into Jon's eye. Cricket had seen it and already looked to see where it was coming from. Jon jerked his head away from the bright light, "What was that?" he said.

Cricket, seeing what was reflecting the light smiled and said, happily, "It's from Temperance's engagement ring."

"Have you been dating somebody I don't know about, Temperance?" Jon asked.

Temperance smiled, "It's actually somebody you already know."

"Not that Zack kid from the Jeffersonian?" Jon asked, straight-faced.

"No, you clown," Booth said. "Me."

Cricket got up, went over to Temperance and gave her a hug. Jon held out his hand to shake Booth's hand. "Well, it's about time," he said. "I was getting pretty sick and tired of that whole, 'Will they, or won't they?' thing." Booth shook his hand heartily. Jon raised his arms to Temperance, "I would get up and give you a hug, but I'm kind of tied in here with the catheter and everything."

After Cricket had hugged Temperance, she went and gave Booth a hug and kissed him on the cheek. Temperance said, "That's okay…I'll come to you." She made her way to him and took him in her arms. She squeezed her eyes tight and whispered into his ear, "Thank you, Jon." She kissed him softly.

"It was my pleasure, Temperance," he replied. After everyone had returned to their place, Cricket by Jon's side and Temperance by Booth's, he asked, "So, have you two decided on a date yet?"

Temperance and Booth looked at each other. "This was kind of a big step for us already," Booth said. "We're going to wait awhile before deciding."

Jon said, "Oh…it's going to be one of _those_ engagements."

"What do you mean? _'__Those__ engagements?'_" Temperance asked.

Jon replied, "The kind where it just kind of drags on with no end in sight."

"Well, at least I got my fiancé an engagement ring," Booth said. "Have you two named a date yet?"

"And Cricket will have hers…just as soon as I get out of here and we can go shopping for it."

Cricket interrupted, "Boys…this is not a competition."

Jon said, "And yes, we've set a date…January 17th. Down in Florida." He continued, "You two are invited, if you can tear yourselves away from all the snow and cold up here."

"In the middle of football playoffs?" Booth said hollowly.

Temperance rolled her eyes, "We'd love to come, Jon. Thank you."

"It's our pleasure, Temperance," Jon said. "I was going to ask you to be my best man, Seel. But if you don't think you can tear yourself away from the television…"

Booth started, "Your best man? How am I supposed to set up the bachelor party all the way down in Florida?"

Cricket got up and hooked Temperance's arm with hers, "Let's go get a cup of coffee while they hammer this out." She led Temperance out the door. "I'd like to get your ideas on bridesmaid's dresses…"

Temperance could still hear Jon and Booth going back and forth halfway down the hallway to the elevators.

* * *

Booth and Temperance curled up on her couch. Smooth Jazz lightly filled her living room from her CD player. She lay in his arms, her back to his chest. His finger traced figures below her ear.

Without opening her eyes, she slapped at his hand. He looked at her in surprise. "Don't start something you can't finish." She said simply.

"Who says I can't finish it?"

"We need to go in a couple of minutes. You've got some work to do at the warehouse." She said. He sighed heavily. "Don't give me that, Seeley Booth."

'_Uh-Oh,'_ he thought. _'She used my full name so she's serious about this.'_

She continued, "It's been three days since Jon's been hurt and you haven't done anything in the way of therapy for your shoulder. I don't want you getting lazy or losing your focus on what you need to do…we're going…tonight." She said steadfastly.

He moved his hand to her chin and moved her head towards him. He kissed her, "I Love You."

"I Love you, too." She said, sitting up. She leaned down and kissed him. "Now go get ready to go." She stood up, pulling Seeley up with her. Her home phone rang. She moved over to the phone, and seeing it was Max, picked it up. "Hi Dad!" she said with a smile. She caught Booth's eye and pointed, seriously at the other room, where his workout clothes were.

"Hello pumpkin!" Max said. "How's everything going?"

"Pretty good, Dad," she thought for a split second, "Actually, it's going great!"

"That's great! What are you doing this Saturday?"

Temperance thought for a moment, "I don't think I've got anything going on. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking about having an 'end-of-summer' barbeque over here. You remember, with the whole family, together?"

"Dad," she reminded him, "It was just mom, you, me and Russ."

"I know," he said. "But this year, we've Russ and Amy and the girls. Come on, it'll be fun."

"Can I bring a date?"

"Sure, you can bring Booth."

"Well," she said, "Booth may have Parker this weekend, so he might not be able to…" she squeezed her eyes tight and tried not to laugh.

Max sounded disappointed, "Oh…you mean somebody else." He cheered up, somewhat. "Yeah, you can bring him too. And if Booth wants to bring his son along, that's okay too. Like I said, Russ and Amy will be bringing Emma and Hayley. It's going to be kind of a celebration."

"Celebrating what?"

"Well, end-of-summer, I got a job teaching science at a private school…"

"Really Dad?" Temperance said, happily. "You got a job teaching? What about your past?"

"Well, I was found innocent of the charges, so that part of my past is irrelevant. And I got my teaching certificate this summer." He said. "Plus, we can celebrate Booth getting better, and Amy and Russ are getting married."

"Amy and Russ are getting married?" her eyes caught Booth's. _'Is there something in the air?'_ she thought. She saw Booth smile and nod his head. She could almost hear his thoughts, _'Good for Russ'_

"Yes…he just told me today. He said he would call you tonight. So, it's kind of a Brennan family celebration. And if you've got anything you want to celebrate, we can add it in." Max continued, "Please say you'll come. And you can bring whomever you want."

"Okay, Dad. I'll be there," she said with a smile. "No promises about Booth, though."

"Okay, honey," Max said. She could hear the joy in his voice. "I'll give you a call tomorrow and firm up the time and place."

"Okay, Dad. I'll talk to you tomorrow." She hung up the phone.

"What did Max have to say?" Booth asked.

Temperance looked at the ring on her finger and smiled. "Do you have Parker this weekend?"

"Yes," Booth said happily. "I was going to tell him about us," he paused. His mood became serious, "I don't know how he'll take it, but we'll work through it."

"Remember that Sunday we spent with Parker?"

Booth smiled, "I'll never forget it."

"Remember he asked me something when he gave me a hug?" Booth nodded. She looked at him, "He asked if I was going to be your girlfriend."

Booth came over to her and took her in his arms, "What did you tell him?"

"I told him I didn't know," she continued, "I wasn't sure what your feelings for me were at the time." Booth nodded. "He told me he hoped I would be." Booth smiled. "Max invited us to a Brennan celebratory barbeque on Saturday." She looked into his eyes. "You know, celebrating all the good things that have happened to us this year. Dad's got a job teaching science, plus he was found innocent of the charges, Russ and Amy are engaged." She shook her head. "We can't spring this on Parker like that. We…or you have to tell Parker and Rebecca before we can include Parker in something like that. And I know we don't have enough time before Saturday…"

Booth reached over and picked up her phone. He dialed a number, "Hello Rebecca?" Temperance buried her face into his chest. "Can you me and Parker have dinner tomorrow night? I've got something important I need to tell you two." Temperance sobbed into his chest. "Bones will be there as well." He paused. "How about the Royal Diner, at about 6:00? See you two then." He hung up the phone.

He eased her head back from his chest. "There, now we have something to celebrate besides your new book." She hugged him tightly. After a few moments, he said, "Come on. I want to get this done." She laughed into his chest. "And afterwards, we can sit in the whirlpool for awhile and then later, you can get that massage I owe you."

She raised her head and kissed him.


	45. Do You Wanna Know a Secret?

**A/N:** If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. Amazingly, it's titled, "The Long Road Home Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, go to Forums / TV / Bones and then do a sort by Topic Count. It should be somewhere in the listing.

* * *

Temperance's foot tapped noisily on the floor of the diner.

She and Seeley sat at their "usual" table. Except now, instead of them sitting opposite each other with the table in between, they sat next to each other, facing the door. Seeley could feel, and hear, her leg jackhammering in nervous anticipation. He looked down at her leg. Leaning over, he whispered in her ear, "Relax. Are you going to be like this every time Parker comes over?"

Temperance said, "No…what?" She angled her body away and leaned back looking at his amused expression. "Why?"

"You just seem extremely nervous," he said. 'Do we need to see if Dr. Camarillo can prescribe a sedative?" Temperance looked at Seeley, quizzically. His gaze traveled down to her leg. She tilted her head and rolled her eyes. Consciously stopping her leg from bouncing, she took a deep breath, and moved her hands, rubbing them on her thighs, trying to quiet her nerves.

"I just…" she started. "I don't want this to go badly."

He looked into her eyes, "How could it? Parker likes you, and Rebecca and I aren't involved past dealings with Parker." He slid his hand to her thigh and squeezed it reassuringly. He leaned closer, and kissed her gently. Leaning back, he said softly, "Relax."

She nodded her head. Returning her hands to her coffee cup, she caught sight of the engagement ring. _'Should I be wearing this at the start of the conversation?'_ she thought. _'Would it seem," _she searched for the word, _like I was gloating? Maybe I should take it off…for just a little while.'_ She moved her hand and grasped the ring. At that moment, Parker and Rebecca came through the door. Thinking crazily of the many times she had ridden roller coasters; she remembered every time there was a least one person as the cars slowly rose to the crest of that first big hill who would intone joylessly, 'Here we go.' As Booth smiled broadly and stood up to meet his son and ex-lover, she took a deep breath; and as she stood, she pulled the ring off and stuffed it in her jeans pocket; she said softly, "Here we go"

* * *

"Daddy!" Parker yelled joyfully, arms outstretched as he ran towards his father.

Temperance's fears vanished as Seeley picked his son up and tossed him gently over his head. "Hey Buddy!" he returned. Catching Parker as he dropped to head height, he pulled his son, giggling, into a hug. Temperance never tired of the joy Seeley felt at seeing his son. Moreover, this little roughhousing showed her Seeley's rehab was progressing nicely. Looking at Rebecca, she saw she was taking the scene in indulgently. Temperance got the feeling that at one time she had tried to get them to tone it down, but then resigned herself to the spectacle. Like Seeley calling her _'Bones,'_ he just wore her down.

Parker caught sight of Temperance. He happily waved, "Hi Bones!"

Temperance raised her hand, palm towards Parker, and squeezed her hand open and closed a couple of times, "Hi Parker," she smiled.

Seeley turned his attention to Rebecca, "Hi, Rebecca!" he smiled. He moved out of the way to allow her to move to the table where Temperance waited.

"Hello Seeley," she said. Turning to Temperance, she continued, "Doctor Brennan." She took a seat opposite Temperance.

"Please," Temperance said smiling, "you can call me Temperance." She looked at Seeley sitting Parker in the seat next to Rebecca. "Or, you can call me Bones, just like Seeley and Parker do." She sat down, moving Seeley's seat out so he could sit easier.

Noting Temperance's use of Seeley's first name, she smiled and said, "I thought you didn't like it when Seeley called you that?"

Temperance shrugged her shoulders, passing a menu to Rebecca, "I've tried breaking him of the habit, too." She watched as Seeley sat down, "But he's incorrigible."

Rebecca nodded slightly, accepting the menu, and said smiling, "Incorrigible…that's a good word for it."

"Can we please not discuss my incorrigibleness?" Seeley said as the waitress arrived.

"Are you ready, or do you need a few more minutes?" she asked.

Seeley looked towards the two women. "I'm ready," Rebecca said. Looking at Temperance, "How about you?"

Temperance smiled and put the menu aside, "I don't even know why I bother looking at that thing. I already know what I want." She turned to the waitress, "I'll have the large salad, Red Wine Vinaigrette, a large order of fries and extra ketchup."

Rebecca smiled, turning to the waitress she said, "I'll have the same except with Bleu Cheese dressing…and a coffee."

The waitress turned her attention to Parker, who was studiously attempting to read the menu. "I'll have…" he drew the word out. Rebecca, Temperance and Seeley looked at him with amusement. He finished, "A kid's cheeseburger with French fries and lots of mustard and ketchup and an orange soda." The waitress smiled and turned to Seeley.

"I'll have the 1/3 pound cheeseburger, with a side of fries," he turned to Temperance. "Do you want to split a chocolate shake with me?"

Shocked at the suddenness of it, Temperance noticed Rebecca ease back in her chair with a knowing smile on her lips. "Uhhh…" she started, "Sure."

Seeley said, "Bring her the shake glass with a straw and I'll drink from the mixer."

The waitress smiled and said to Rebecca and Parker, "I'll be right back with your coffee and soda."

"Thanks," Parker said. He resumed kicking his legs back and forth under the chair seat.

"So," Rebecca said looking from Seeley to Temperance, the same amused look crawled back onto her face, "What did you need to talk to us about?"

Temperance decided this was something that should come from Seeley, so she sat back, trying to keep her leg from beginning its percussive beat again.

"Well," Seeley turned his attention to Parker. "We wanted to tell you something that's very important." Rebecca noticed Seeley's use of the word 'We.' She looked at Temperance and smiled. "You know how Bones has been helping me get better?" Parker nodded. He turned and smiled at Temperance. "Well, during the time we've spent together we realized something. Something that we kind of knew for a long time, but we didn't believe it."

'And you believe it now?" Parker asked.

Seeley smiled; "Yes…" he looked at Temperance, and then turned back to Parker, "Yes we do. Bones' father is having a barbeque Saturday and we wanted to tell him and share it with him and the rest of Bones' family. But we needed to tell you first."

"So, I'm not going to be able to stay with you this weekend if you go to the party?" Parker asked disappointedly.

Temperance could see Seeley's frustration that he may not be saying it right. She said, "No Parker, that's not it." Parker turned to her, "I'd like you and your Dad to come with me to the party to meet my Dad and my brother and his family." Parker's expression turned happy.

Seeley continued, "But we needed to tell you that Bones and I are in Love and we're going to get married."

Parker turned to Temperance, "So, you're not going to be my Dad's girlfriend?" He looked disappointed.

Temperance smiled and said, putting her hand on Seeley's shoulder, "Even better, I'm going to be his wife and he's going to be my husband." Temperance took a quick look at Rebecca who returned the look with warmth in her eyes.

The waitress reappeared with Rebecca's coffee and Parker's soda. As she left, the three adults could see Parker working it out in his head. "So you and Dad are going to be living in the same house?" Temperance and Seeley nodded their heads. Parker asked sadly, "So, can I still come over and stay with Dad sometimes?"

"Ohh…" Temperance's heart ached. "Of course you can. This doesn't mean your Dad doesn't love you as much." Parker looked into her eyes, "It means your Daddy has so much love in his heart, that he wants to share it with me as well as you."

"What about Mom?"

Seeley said, "I still love your mom…just not in the same way I Love you, or Bones." Parker thought for a moment. "There's different kinds of love." Seeley reassured him. "I will always love you. And that love grows stronger every day. And a different kind of love is the kind I have with Bones. And that grows stronger every day too. And the kind of love I have for your mom is even more different. It's the kind your mom and I will cherish. But it's also the kind where the people can't live together."

The three adults exchanged looks. "Will Bones be my mom?" Parker asked.

Temperance shook her head, "No, Parker. Rebecca will _always_ be your mom…Nothing will ever change that. And I can never replace her as your mom."

Rebecca leaned in and got Parker's attention, "But Bones will be just like a mom," Rebecca turned to see Temperance's eyes filling with tears. She smiled at her and turned back to Parker, "You'll have two moms. Won't that be special?"

"If Bones is gonna be there, then where will I sleep when I come over?" Rebecca leaned back. She knew this battle was over.

Seeley said, "Well, Bones and I have been talking about that. We're going to move into a bigger place, and you'll have your own room when you come over." Parker's mood lightened considerably.

Rebecca said to the group, "Well, I need to use the ladies' room." To Temperance, "Would you like to join me?"

Surprised, Temperance said, "Sure." As the two women stood, Seeley stood and watched them walk to the ladies' room.

"Hey Dad," Parker said, "Does Bones have a lot of neat stuff?"

Before the door swung shut, Temperance could hear Seeley say, "Nah…she's got a lot of boring stuff…books…"

* * *

The two women stood, eyeing each other in the ladies' room. Temperance wasn't sure what to expect.

"Congratulations," Rebecca said, smiling. She moved to hug Temperance, and then stopped, waiting for her go-ahead. Temperance smiled and reached out to Rebecca. They hugged as Rebecca continued, "I'm so happy for you. I'm happy for Seeley. I'm happy for you both!"

Temperance relaxed. "Thanks," she said. "I was worried about how Parker, and you would react. I wasn't sure how I would do with him."

Rebecca turned to the mirror. She waved the notion off, "You did fine. He just needs some time for it all to sink in." She looked at Temperance's reflection in the mirror. "Just as long as Parker feels loved…that's the important thing. He just needs to know he still has a place in Seeley's heart."

Temperance nodded, "I didn't think it possible, but…"

Rebecca finished the thought for her, "Parker's found a spot in your heart, too?" Temperance laughed and nodded more vigorously. "Good…with your intelligence, Seeley's interpersonal skills…and my pragmatism…Parker's going to have a well-rounded upbringing."

"Thank you, Rebecca," Temperance looked at the floor. She raised her eyes to Rebecca's gaze in the mirror. "You've made this much easier than it could have been."

Rebecca turned around, "Hey…you've got Seeley's and Parker's interests at heart. How could I not want this to go well?" She paused, "So, did he get you a ring, yet? I never gave him time to get me one before I turned him down." Temperance nodded her head and started digging in her jeans pocket for the ring. "What's it doing in your pocket?" Rebecca asked.

Temperance fished the ring out, "I thought it might be presumptuous if I was wearing it before we had told you." She caught Rebecca's eye. "I didn't want to start out with bad feelings."

"Ohh…that was silly," Temperance offered the ring to Rebecca. "Is this his great-grandmother's ring?" Temperance nodded, uneasily. Rebecca read her wariness, "Don't worry, he never offered it to me. He told me about it, and I told him I wanted my own heirloom." Rebecca smiled, "Put that baby on your finger…be loud, be proud!"

Temperance laughingly slid the ring back on.

* * *

Temperance lay spooning with Seeley in her bed, her back to him with his arm around her waist. "That went a great deal better than I thought it would." He said. He kissed her ear, "You were great."

"You weren't so bad yourself."

Seeley rose up and rested his head on his hand. "So what went on in the ladies' room?"

"You know I can't tell you." Temperance said. "That's secret, women stuff. If you want to know, you'll just have to go UC and stake out a stall in the ladies' room."

"UC?"

"Yeah…you know, undercover?"

"What? Are you taking a course in 'cop speak'?" he said.

"Maybe you're just a bad influence on me," she said, moving her pelvis back into him.

"Hey now…what was it you said? _'Don't start something you can't finish.'_"

She rose up, "And what makes you think I can't finish it?" She leaned in and kissed him.

"You know Saturday, at your Dad's picnic?"

She laid back down, "Yeah?"

"You know I'm a pretty traditional guy, right?"

She pressed her pelvis into him again. "I can tell that…no premarital sex…no living together before marriage…"

"Well, besides that…"

"Okay," she figured in order to get his mind on this; he had to speak his piece about that.

"Well, I don't want you to get upset, or think that I think of you as property or anything like that…"

"Will you stop beating around the bush and get to it already?"

"Nice use of the idiom, by the way." Seeley continued, "Well, I want to ask your Dad for his blessing for our marriage."

She rose up and turned around facing him, "What?"

"I know it's our decision, and he doesn't really have a say in it, but I'd like to ask him for his blessing…before we make the announcement. I know it's old fashioned, and it harkens back to the days when women were treated like chattel. But I think it will help smooth the way with him. And it may help him accept me into the family."

She laughed, "You think he may not accept you as an appropriate suitor for his daughter?"

"His _only_ daughter." Seeley corrected gently. "And I know that you are your own woman, perfectly capable of making your own decisions. But you know me, I like symbolisms and rituals." He shrugged his shoulders. "This is a guy ritual."

Temperance was amazed that this paragon of law and order should care so much what a murderer and bank robber thought about the man his daughter loved. "You're so sweet," she murmured as she nuzzled him. "Just don't do it while I'm standing there. I'd have to cut you into pieces verbally."

He smiled as her lips found that secret spot behind his ear, "So, just like at work, then?"


	46. Barbeque With The Brennans

**A/N:** If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. Amazingly, it's titled, "The Long Road Home Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, go to Forums / TV / Bones and then do a sort by Topic Count. It should be somewhere in the listing.

* * *

The SUV rolled slowly down the street. Inside, Seeley, Temperance and Parker read the numbers on the houses as they passed.

"What time did your Dad say it was going to start?" Seeley asked.

"One o'clock," Temperance pointed to a tan-colored house about a half-block away. "That's it…I think."

Seeley turned to her and smiled. "You're sure this time?"

"That wasn't my fault," she said. "The instructions I downloaded didn't have that 'Y' fork in the road."

Seeley nodded his head. In all honesty, in all the years they had ridden together, she had never gotten the directions wrong or otherwise gotten them lost. He just liked tweaking her about it. He turned the car into the driveway. Parker asked, "Did Bones get it right this time?" Seeley couldn't stifle his laugh.

Temperance turned to Parker, "Parker? Could you please close your eyes for a moment, honey?" Parker nodded and shut his eyes. Temperance hit Seeley in his shoulder. His mouth opened in surprise. She continued, "Okay Parker, you can open them now." She turned to him, "I think we're here now," she smiled.

"Yay!" he cried.

Seeley grabbed his shoulder, "Ow…what have you got in your hand? Rocks?"

"That reminds me," Temperance said, pulling off her ring. Seeley looked at her. "What? You want to ask Max before we tell everybody don't you? If they see me wearing the ring, they'll know something's up." She placed her hand on his cheek. "Don't worry. After today, I don't plan on ever taking it off."

He leaned in and kissed her. "Well…" he started, "I would think that washing your hands would be an acceptable exception."

She nodded, "Oh you would, would you?" She leaned in and kissed him.

"Come on, Dad." Parker implored. "Are we going to stay in the car all day?"

Seeley smiled, "Okay, buddy!" As Temperance got out of the car, she could hear Seeley take a deep breath and say in a low voice, "Here we go." He was so cute!

* * *

When they got to the front door, they saw a sign tacked to it:

COME ON AROUND BACK

And then an arrow under the lettering. Temperance, holding Parker's hand went first with Seeley, holding a large fruit tray and a large warming container following behind. Seeley could hear his heart beating. _'Why am I so nervous?'_ he thought. Then he answered himself, _'Because you've never done this before…asking a father to bless his daughter's marriage to me. What was I thinking? That's it…I wasn't thinking.'_ He took a deep breath.

Temperance turned to him, "Is that getting too heavy? Do you want me to take something?"

Seeley shook his head, "No…I'm okay."

And then they were there.

It was a large back yard. A large picnic table dominated the area closest to the house. Further down stood a large built-in grill, the size and shape of it looking very much like the one Seeley had built for Gordon. Flames were leaping from beneath the grill as the smell of charcoal and starter fluid rose from the fire pit. A blonde-haired woman was busy weighting down various items on the picnic table with jars of condiments so they wouldn't blow away in the wind. _'Amy…Russ's fiancée,'_ Seeley thought. Russ himself was standing next to his father by the grill; talking and watching, as all men seemed to do, the flames lick up into the air. A large, Weeping Willow sat off to the side; it's slender leaves dancing in the light wind. In the open expanse of the rest of the yard, two little girls seemed to be in engaged in a game of tag. _'Emma and Hayley,'_ Seeley reminded himself. Further down, chain link fencing separated the yard from the overgrown brush of the undeveloped part of the terrain. Russ turned and spotted them. He waved, and turned to Max and said something. Max turned to see them. He had an odd look on his face for a moment and then a broad smile took over his expression. He waved them over.

* * *

"Dad," Russ said, smiling, "Tempe's here."

Max turned around. _'Might as well see who this new guy is,'_ thought Max joylessly. _'Why can't she just see what is so obviously plain to the rest of us? Booth is the guy for her.'_ He turned and saw them. His heart caught in his throat. There was his little girl, holding onto the hand of a little boy. Booth standing nearby, obviously nervous about something, but he'll warm up. _'And no other guy,'_ he thought happily. He smiled and began waving them over, "Well, don't just stand there!" he yelled. "Come on over and join the party!"

Amy looked up and saw Temperance, Booth and a little boy standing by the house. She smiled and went over to them. The little boy moved to hide partly behind Temperance's leg. "Temperance," she said as she hugged her. The men were now starting to come over. Amy moved over to Seeley and extended her arms to hug him as well. He moved the food out of the way and accepted her hug with a smile. Max and Russ arrived and took turns hugging Temperance and shaking Seeley's hand. Amy took the food warmer from Seeley, easing his load somewhat. The two girls were running over to greet the new arrivals as well.

Max knelt down by Parker and extended his hand, "And who is this fine young man?" Parker let go of Temperance's hand and sidled a little bit more behind her leg, clutching it with both hands.

She turned, smiling, and placed her hand reassuringly on Parker's back, drawing him more towards the front. Seeley said, "This is my son, Parker."

"Parker," Temperance said, "This is my father, Max." Parker, unsure, reached out and shook hands with the older man.

Max smiled, "Very pleased to meet you, Parker." He looked up at Seeley, "I'm glad you could come, Booth." He turned to Temperance and said ironically, "So, your date couldn't come?"

Temperance smiled, pulling her lips in between her teeth, "Dad, Seeley is my date."

Max, still kneeling, looked at Parker, "Well, that's good news, isn't it?"

Parker, more at ease now, but still holding onto Temperance's leg with one arm said, "Even better, Dad and Bones are gonna get married!"

Seeley and Temperance's mouths hit the ground at the same time. "Really?" Max said, surprised. He glanced from Temperance to Seeley and knew it was true. With a happy glint in his eyes, he said, "Well, I guess we ought to introduce you to some of your new family then!" He reached out and tickled Parker's side. Parker laughed and moved away from Temperance. Max pointed to Russ, "This is Temperance's brother. His name is Russ." Pointing to the smiling blonde woman, "This is Russ' fiancée, Amy.' He brought the two girls closer, "And these are Amy's little girls, Emma and Hayley." Looking at Seeley, Max could see the food was starting to get heavy on his still not healed muscles. He stood up and took the fruit tray from him, "Let's all go get better acquainted," and started moving back to the table and grill.

* * *

Max stood, tending the fire. It didn't actually need tending. That's just what guys do. He turned to Seeley, "So, do you want me to call you Seeley or Booth?"

Seeley smiled, "Whichever you feel more comfortable with, sir."

Max caught the 'sir,' Seeley had added when addressing him. He thought sooner or later he would get around to whatever had him on edge. "Well, I was first introduced to you as 'Booth,' a man my age sometimes has trouble changing."

"I only like being called 'Seeley' by people who have earned the familiarity," Seeley said. "Usually, only family." He looked at Max.

Max smiled, "Even if you weren't marrying my daughter, I'd still consider you a part of my family." He turned to look at him, "So, Seeley. Why don't you grab a beer from the cooler, and while you're at it, grab one for me too?"

Seeley smiled and walked over to the cooler. On the way, he looked at Temperance, engaged in conversation with Russ and Amy. She looked at Seeley and, smiling, waved her fingers holding her glass of lemonade. Seeley saw the glimmer of her ring. He smiled back and she returned to her conversation. He bent down and fished out two Miller Genuine Drafts. _'My kinda guy.'_ He stood up to see Max walking towards the three children. He was carrying an old board. It looked like the facing door to an old chest. He followed him to where the girls and Parker were starting to set up the lawn darts game.

* * *

Max said, "You kids want some help?"

The group said, "Yeah," as they looked at the long plastic tubing uncomprehendingly.

"Okay," Max said as he dropped the board and took the tubing from Emma's hands. "Watch this," as he placed an end in each hand and then brought his hands together, making a circle. The children's eyes grew wide. He then tucked one end inside the other and held the circular tubing out; a magician showing off a magic trick. Seeley came up behind him.

Temperance looked around and saw Max and Seeley in amongst the three children and she smiled. Amy, wondering what had taken her attention looked and said, "That would make a great picture." Temperance turned back, nodding her head.

Handing the plastic circle to Parker and Hayley, he said, "Okay…you guys put this on the ground over there," and nodded about fifty feet away.

Seeley said, "Isn't that a bit far?"

"Might be," Max agreed. "If they can't make it, we can move them closer." Seeley began removing the four lawn darts from the box. Max handed the other tubing to Emma, "Now you try it." With great care, she placed one hand on each end of the tubing. When she brought her hands together she smiled, and then began stuffing one end into the other.

"Is this far enough?" Parker's voice trilled.

Max and Seeley looked to see they had taken it completely across to the edge of the yard. Seeley smiled, hefting one of the darts in his hand. He wasn't sure _he_ could throw one that far accurately. Max smiled, and began waving his hand in a 'come here' motion, "Just a little too far. Bring it back this way a bit." Hayley and Parker moved closer, each holding part of the circle, but still dragging it on the ground. He turned back to Emma, "We'll just put this one down here, okay?"

Emma smiled and said, "Okay."

Seeley, hefting the lawn dart in his hand and looking at the heavily weighted metal point said, "Uh…Max. Do you really think this is good idea?"

Max looked up at him, "Why?" He saw Seeley looking at the dart dubiously. "It's the same principle as a gun. It's how it's used as to whether it's dangerous or not." Seeley looked at him, unconvinced. "We'll just show them how dangerous they are." He stood up and picked up the board and a dart, moving towards the base of the willow.

Seeley looked towards Parker and Hayley. He held up his hand, like a traffic cop, "That's close enough." They stopped and then placed the circle down, making sure it wouldn't somehow go rolling off. Then ran back to where Seeley and Emma stood.

Once they arrived, Seeley brought them over to where Max was standing, about 20 feet from the willow. He saw that Max had leaned the board against the base of the tree.

"Okay, guys," Max said. "This is _very_ important. You have to be _very_ careful with these. _Don't_ throw them at _anybody_. This can hurt somebody very badly." He gave the dart to Seeley and indicated the board.

Seeley said, "Me? I might miss!"

"Might help prove my point," Max said.

Seeley hefted the dart; It had been a long time since he had played lawn darts. He wasn't sure he still had the mechanics down. He brought the dart up, and threw it towards the board overhand. The weighted tip guided it to the center of the board, splitting it.

Max smiled at Seeley. He turned to the children, "Okay, see how that could hurt you, or somebody else you hit?" The children nodded. "Okay…let's see how this game is played."

The rest of the hour was spent in showing Parker and the girls how to toss the darts properly, underhanded, at the circles resting on the ground. Seeley suggested not trying to teach them how to keep score yet; it may just confuse them. He figured they could make up their own scoring system. Before leaving the children to their own devices, Max said, "Now, you guys watch out for snakes. If you see one, stand still and yell. We'll come get you, okay?" The three children nodded and then started taking turns tossing the darts at the targets. Max and Seeley started back towards the grill.

Seeley said, "I'm sorry we didn't tell you before, Max."

"What? About you and Temperance?" Max said, "Don't worry about it." They had arrived at the grill. Max put his hand out to the coals, "Time to start cooking."

Seeley touched his arm, "No…I mean, yes, we're adults and we are going to get married no matter what you or anybody else says." Seeley looked in his eyes, "I'd just like to ask for your blessing is all." Max was thunderstruck. Seeley continued, "I wanted to ask you, before you found out." Seeley smiled, "but Parker kind of blew that out of the water."

Max looked at Seeley appraisingly. He knew it. He knew Seeley was a stand-up guy. He had no qualms about this man. Hell, he already knew he would die for her. He had taken the bullet meant for her. Max put his hand out. Seeley placed his in Max's. "Welcome to the family, Seeley. I couldn't have wished for a better son-in-law."

"Thank you, sir. I don't know if she'll be happy for the rest of her life. But I'm going to try to make sure she is for the rest of mine."

"That's all a father could wish for. But one more thing," Max said. Seeley looked at him expectantly. "Stop calling me 'sir'." Max smiled. Seeley smiled. "Now go inside and get the meat from the fridge."

* * *

The food was exquisite. Seeley's fruit tray served as a 'grazing' dish until the main meal was ready. Max gave Russ and Seeley lessons on how to properly cook a steak, "Never puncture the meat while cooking, it lets all the juices escape. Instead, use tongs to turn the meat." Amy had prepared an amazing ambrosia salad as an accompaniment to the meal and as part of the dessert. Temperance's macaroni and cheese was a big hit. "It's the nutmeg," she said modestly. Amy had gotten Temperance to promise to send her the recipe. As long as she received the ambrosia salad recipe in return, Temperance negotiated.

After the meal, as the adults were letting their meals digest and the children were off playing lawn darts again, Temperance said, "Amy," noting Hayley's activity level, "Hayley seems to be doing pretty well."

"Yes," Amy said, "Thanks to Doctor Getz." She turned to Temperance, "I can't thank you enough."

Temperance shook her head, "It wasn't a problem."

"What's her prognosis?" Seeley asked.

"Well, CF doesn't ever go away. All we can do is be proactive." Amy said.

"How so?" Max asked.

Russ explained, "Making sure she eats right, good nutrition, being proactive about treating any airway infections, and," he pointed at her, "making sure she has an active lifestyle."

"Really?" Seeley said, "I always thought that Cystic Fibrosis was an impediment to an active lifestyle?"

Amy nodded, "It can be sometimes. But not necessarily. There's a Canadian Ironman Triathlete, Lisa Bentley, who has CF. "Amy continued, "I think the more we can keep her active, the further ahead we'll be."

Temperance asked, "Is there anything promising on the horizon with gene therapy?"

Amy shook her head, "Nothing specific. Although they do have some avenues they are looking at."

They heard Emma shriek. Not the normal, playful shriek one would expect from children. This had fear laced throughout it. The adults' attention swiftly shifted focus. Emma was standing still, with Parker and Hayley about forty feet away. They heard Emma yell, "Snake!" As one, the adults left the table and headed toward the children.

Halfway down the slope, they saw Parker raise a lawn dart and prepare to throw. Seeley thought, _'Oh God! If she doesn't get bitten, Parker's gonna brain her with a lawn dart!'_

He yelled, "Parker!"

Too late, he saw Parker let the dart fly. He watched, like in slow motion the dart sailed through the air…he heard Parker yell, "Run, Emma!" and the dart skidded along the ground in front of Emma. The snake struck at the red fins of the dart as Emma turned and ran up the slope. Russ and Temperance reached Hayley and Parker, picking them up and returning up to the house. Emma reached her mother, who scooped her up and passed Max and Seeley on her way back up the slope.

Seeley, turned to Max, "Maybe we should call animal control?"

Max responded, "Good idea."

* * *

Animal Control arrived and made short work of capturing the snake. It was a Northern Copperhead. Found throughout Virginia. It must have wandered in from the undeveloped brush on the other side of the fence. Max was beside himself, apologizing to Amy and Russ and anybody who would listen. Even though the people with Animal Control told him they even see them in the suburbs. Amy assured him that she didn't hold him responsible. Even so, Max was going to look into making his yard as inhospitable to snakes as he could.

After all of the excitement died down, and the kids were enjoying their ice cream, Russ turned to Seeley and asked, smiling "So, is that like engrained in your DNA?"

"What?" Seeley asked.

"Protecting people?" he pointed at Parker and made a throwing motion. Temperance smiled as well.

Seeley remarked, "I'm just as shocked as you. But you know what's really impressive?"

"What?" Amy asked.

"His aim."

* * *

Seeley and Temperance stood at the side of her guest bed. The one they had first slept in so many weeks ago. Now, it contained a small boy, so tired he had fallen asleep on the way home. Seeley had carried him up, sound asleep. They could only imagine the dreams that were running through his mind as he slept.

Temperance pulled Seeley's hand as she began walking towards the door. He followed her, his eyes riveted on his son. After she closed the door, she nestled herself in his arms, sighing into his chest.

"What's wrong" he asked.

"Nothing," she smiled. "I thought the day went pretty well, don't you?"

He shook his head. "Even the snake thing turned out all right," he laughed.

"I just wish…" she trailed off.

"What?" he said, leading her to the couch.

"Well, with Dad and you and everybody with the children…" she took a deep breath. "I kind of wish my mother could have been here to see it."

He cradled her in his arms, "Well, even though you don't believe it, I think she was." When Temperance didn't say anything, he continued, "I'd kind of like to think that all three of them were looking down on us today. And smiling."

She arched up and kissed him. "Such a sweet thought," she murmured. Within moments she was fast asleep, dreaming of her mother sitting at the picnic table next to her, watching her future son-in-law, Seeley, and her husband, Max, playing with their grandchildren.


	47. Target Practice

**A/N:** If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. Amazingly, it's titled, "The Long Road Home Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, go to Forums / TV / Bones and then do a sort by Topic Count. It should be somewhere in the listing.

* * *

The acrid odor of spent gunpowder hung in the air, almost choking him. He stood, his right arm pointing at the target, his left hand cradling his right, and the weapon it grasped. His wrists ached. His arms, heavy and fatigued. His shoulders ached. Looking down the barrel of the weapon, he could see the sight dancing on the target. His breathing erratic, he began to take shallow breaths and saw the sight settle onto the red on the target. He stopped his breathing and slid the trigger straight back into him. The gun fired, sending vibrations through his hands, wrists, arms; and finally into his shoulders and back. A bright flash of fire exited the barrel. The gun kicked upwards, bending his thumb and wrist vertically. A flash of gold metal leaped out of the slide mechanism towards his right. He could feel the slide mechanism lock in its forward position. The gun seemed to want to leap out of his hands. He held firmly to the grip, feeling the cross-hatching in his palm, depriving the weapon of its freedom, and allowed gravity to tug it back to earth. Its energy spent. His shoulder, arm and hand muscles compensated for the falling weapon and brought the sight back in line with the red stain discoloring the black silhouette. He slid the trigger toward him again. Again, the muzzle flash and the vibrations radiated up through his arms; the gold metal flew from the weapon; and again the gun dropped down and his muscles compensated. He pulled the trigger again…, again…, and again. The slide locked in its open position. Still holding the weapon firmly, his left hand released the gun / right-hand union and let his arm fall limply to his side. His shoulder screamed for rest. Bending forward at his waist, he closed his eyes, tears blurring his vision. His left hand reached over and removed the weapon from his exhausted hand. Grimacing at the movement, he placed it on the counter in front of him. Standing up, with his left hand, he touched the button to activate the mechanism to bring the target to him. He heard the mechanism stop, and opened his eyes. He looked at the target hanging in front of him. Five holes peered at him from the red oval section of the target. Shuddering, with a smile, he closed his eyes.

He opened his eyes, scanning the darkened, empty warehouse. He pulled off the noise suppressors. Silence greeted his accomplishment. No applause…shouts of triumph…or words of encouragement. Why should there be? He was the only one here. She wasn't even in town. He didn't think it possible to miss someone this much in only three days. She had been called to testify in a case in Dallas. Something about the prosecution needing a bona fide expert. She was only going to be gone two days. Fly down there, testify the next day, and then fly back that night. Except something had happened and the defense was granted a two-day continuance. She had completed her testimony today, but the defense reserved the right to recall her. So now she wouldn't be back until who knows when? His dislike for defense attorneys seemed to have risen exponentially. He flexed his right hand. It felt like there were a thousand tiny insects crawling on it and biting it. He raised his hand and could see the fingers shaking visibly. Maybe he had overdone it today. He moved towards the refrigerator. Reaching in, he pulled out a bottle of Miller Genuine Draft. Holding it in his left hand, he moved his right hand to twist off the cap; only to find out he couldn't. He couldn't grasp the cap tight enough. He could feel the insects working their way up his forearm. He sat in one of the recliners. Putting the bottle between his thighs, he grasped the cap with his left hand and twisted. He heard the pleasant "sssshhhssss" of the vacuum seal breaking and air rushing into the bottle. The pungent smell of the hops and barley filled his nostrils. An exhilarating smell, replacing the sulphur of the bullets. He put the bottle to his lips and took a long pull. The taste washed the taste of the gunpowder from his mouth.

He set the bottle down and returned to the refrigerator. Opening the freezer, he pulled out the shoulder wrap and began kneading it into shape. He set it on his shoulder, and with his left hand, attached the Velcro straps to hold it in place. When he was satisfied it wasn't going anywhere, he turned and picked up the remote to the electronics equipment. Walking back to the recliner, he selected "Audio" and then "Playlist." He scrolled through the playlists until he came to the one labeled, "Oldies – Slow." Sitting down in the recliner, he hit "Play." Bryan Ferry's "Slave to Love" began filling the warehouse. He took another drink from the bottle; and then leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes. His mind drifted.

He was amazed at how quickly his life had changed. How could one bullet have such an impact on so many lives? Are we really that intertwined that one potential death, by bullet or beating could so change the course of people's lives? We've hardly talked the last couple of years, yet when the stakes were at their highest, here we are again. He's found a good woman to help him through the bad times, but also to help him appreciate the good times even more. He thought about her again. Away, in that far-off city. He wished he could have gone with her. He wished he could see her bright eyes, hear her sweet laughter, hold her close. He remembered her voice, her agony as he was drifting off into unconsciousness. She had been scared…badly. But she had stayed. And, when so many others would have crumbled, she had stayed strong. Elvin Bishops' "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" rolled through the speakers. Without opening his eyes, he brought the bottle to his lips and took another drink.

Through all the pain and heartache, he thought, he was a blessed man. He had friends who think nothing of dropping what they're doing and coming to his aid. A woman who wants to share his life, no matter what lay in the past. A woman who can only see the present and future with him. A woman who could have so many more princes and yet, she sees the value and worth within the lowly frog.

England Dan & John Ford Coley's "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight" began playing through the speakers. He was lonely. Oh, he could probably call the others and they would drop what they were doing, and come and spend some time with him. Unfortunately, their company would only mean that he would be lonely within a group of people around him. She was like an addiction. And he was going through withdrawal. With her gone, he couldn't be in any more pain if he had somehow had his arm removed. He shook his head. What's wrong with him? What a whiner he had become. He had just spoken with her on the phone not more than three hours ago. She has a life outside of being with you. He told himself to buck up…be a man. But how could he be a man when the love of his life were away? With no indication of when she would be back by his side? He felt as though he couldn't even breathe right when she was gone.

Elton John's "Your Song," filled his ears. He thought about that Saturday a couple months ago. When they all went out on the boat. He couldn't remember a time when he had been as relaxed, and, was it content? Once they were out on open waters, when the sun went down and they could see the stars, it seemed almost magical. He had looked at her and was simply struck by her beauty. Leaning back in each other's arms, looking at the stars had such a profound effect upon him. No longer did he seem small and insignificant. But unique and special. It was then that he knew, for sure, that he loved her.

Johnny Rivers' "Swayin' to the Music" ushered him across the divide from wakefulness to dreams.

* * *

The soft touch of a hand on his cheek awakened him. He jumped, not knowing where he was. He heard the husky voice of Dusty Springfield singing, "The Look of Love." He shook his head, his eyes trying to focus. Thinking himself dreaming he heard Cricket's voice, amused, "Easy there big fella." His eyes focused on her. Her blond, pageboy hair framing her beautiful face. Her pale green eyes seemed luminescent. Her pupils dilated noticeably. She picked up the half-full bottle of beer. "You must really have a problem holding your liquor." She half-mockingly said, "Only half a beer and you pass out?" He placed his hands on both sides of her head and pulled her to him. He kissed her firmly. After the kiss, Cricket said, "Wow! I should leave you alone more often!"

Jon, shaking his head, said, "What are you doing back so soon?" Cricket gave him an obvious fake hurt look. "I mean, a couple of hours ago, you said you were going to be stuck down there for a couple more days."

He heard Temperance's voice from behind him, "What? You don't think a woman can change her mind?"

Jon finally looked around and saw that both Temperance and Seeley were there. Seeley was looking at the target. "Of course she can…" he turned back to Cricket. "I just thought you were locked in to that trial."

"I told them I had an emergency that I had to get back for." Jon looked at her, curiously. "What are they going to do? Fire me?"

Seeley came over holding the target, "Did you just do this? Looks like you're all the way back, buddy."

Jon shook his head, "That's with quite a bit of pain and fatigue." He motioned towards the shoulder wrap. "That's why I'm wearing this."

"Still, this is some great shooting. _I'm_ looking forward to getting back to this."

"My arm wasn't as badly injured as yours was," he reminded Seeley. Jon turned back to Cricket, "How did you get here from the airport?" Cricket turned and looked at Seeley and Temperance. "I know," Jon said, "But how did they know to pick you up? And how come you didn't call me?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise…was it?"

Jon smiled, "Very much so. And it isn't even my birthday!"

"Come on, let's go get some dinner," she said. Turning to Temperance and Seeley she said, "Are you guys going to come?" They looked towards one another and then nodded.

Jon started to extricate himself from the recliner. Cricket stood up and started helping him off with the shoulder wrap. He asked her, "What did you tell them was the emergency?"

"That you're going in to have the sutures removed tomorrow." Jon looked at her, surprised. She continued, "Do you really think I'm not going to be here with you for that?" She leaned in and kissed him. She continued after the kiss, "Plus, my heart was breaking because I couldn't be with you." Jon's look changed from surprised to astonishment. She shrugged her shoulders, "I can't help it…I guess I'm addicted to you."


	48. The Word Spreads

**A/N:** If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. Amazingly, it's titled, "The Long Road Home Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, go to Forums / TV / Bones and then do a sort by Topic Count. It should be somewhere in the listing.

* * *

Arms loaded down with paperwork, her bag and jacket, Temperance hurried into the Jeffersonian. She waved her credentials towards the security guards who nodded in acknowledgement. Walking down the hallway, she could see the examinations platform. Cam, Angela, Hodgins and Zack looked like they were killing time with conversation. Hodgins, _'How is it always him who notices when I come in?'_ she thought, pointed towards Temperance and the rest of the group turned. She smiled and waved her free hand. Not waiting for any return smiles or waves, pointing to her office, she rounded the corner of the hall and walked briskly towards her office.

"Where does she think she's going?" Angela said low enough so that only the group could hear. To Temperance, "Hey, Bren!" she yelled smiling. "Where are you going? We've got a really interesting case here!"

"I'll be there in a bit," she yelled back. "I've got a lot of work to catch up on."

"What case are you talking about?" Zack said to Angela. "Did something come in that I was not aware of?"

Cam explained, "No Zack, Angela was just trying to get Dr Brennan up here so we could grill her."

"You wanted to cook Dr. Brennan?" Zack asked incredulously.

Cam looked towards Hodgins for help. He said, "No Zack, they want to interrogate her about what she's been doing for the past week and a half."

Zack replied, "I'm sure if it was anything interesting Dr Brennan would tell us when she was ready."

Hodgins noted Dr Saroyan and Angela already moving towards the end of the platform. "One thing you have to realize about women, Zack." Zack looked interested, "When a woman wants to know something, there is no _'when they're ready.'_ They want to know it _now_."

He started to move to follow the two women off the platform when Angela caught sight of him, "Sweetie," she said. "I love you dearly, but you're not invited."

Jack froze. "But you're just going to tell me later."

"She may not tell us all the juicy stuff if guys are there. So, you and Zack can just go do…something else for awhile." Angela shook her head, smiling. Jack looked at Cam, who gave him no help at all.

Jack turned to Zack, who said, "Maybe if you shaved your beard, you might be able to sneak in."

"You saying I look like a woman without a beard?"

"Certainly you would look more like a woman without it."

"What do you mean _'more'_ like a woman?" Jack took a step towards Zack.

Angela turned to Cam, "That will keep them busy for awhile." Cam nodded as the two women reached Temperance's door.

* * *

Temperance, seated at her desk, had her hands buried deep in her unopened mail and packages while her computer went through its startup routine. She looked up to see Cam and Angela enter her office. Cam closed and locked the door.

"Well?" Angela said, standing in front of Temperance's desk.

Temperance smiled, "Well what?"

Cam joined Angela in the inquisitor's mode. "Are you going to tell us what you've been up to the past week and a half?"

Temperance shook her head, "I just needed some vacation time to take care of some things."

Cam said seriously, "Dr Brennan…you can either tell us now, or…since you are such an accomplished writer…you can write a two thousand word essay on "What I Did During My Summer Vacation."

Temperance looked at her, "You're kidding."

"I'm absolutely serious," she looked around at Temperance's desk. "And this will take priority over all that other work you think is so important."

"Bren," Angela said, "You can't go off on an undercover assignment, have a shootout, get in a fight, have Jon get beaten to within an inch of his life, not come in the next day, when I call Booth's house _you_ answer the phone and tell us you won't be in the rest of the week, and then tack on a few more days after that, and expect not to be questioned about what happened." Temperance looked from Angela to Cam, who nodded her head.

Temperance tilted her head, "All right. You may as well pull up some chairs." She nodded to the platform, "Do we want to get the others in here as well?"

"Hell, no," Cam said. "This is girl's ears only." Angela and Cam brought a couple of chairs over. Temperance smiled and sat back, her hands in her lap.

Angela started poking around on her desk, "Do you have a marker and a blank sheet of paper?" Temperance reached forward and pulled out a Sharpie from her desk drawer; then pulled a blank sheet of paper out of her printer. She watched as Angela wrote in large block letters:

**_GO AWAY!_**

She tore a piece of adhesive from Temperance's tape dispenser and attached the makeshift sign to the door. She returned to her chair next to Cam and looked at Temperance expectantly. Temperance looked from Cam to Angela.

"Well?" Angela said.

Temperance started, "You all know about the case." Cam and Angela nodded, "Jon went undercover to get himself targeted by the suspects. It ended up there were three of them. Booth went along with us: Chaz, Cricket, Tams – another agent, a computer expert tracking Jon, and me. They took Jon to a piece of property and tried to drug him. But he made a switch of the bottle and set them up. You both know he's blind in his left eye." Nods again. "He lost track of one of them. Unfortunately, that was the one who took the first swing. We were about a half mile away. There was a locked gate that we couldn't legally go through until we had probable cause. Once we heard what was going on, Booth drove the van up to where they were." Temperance closed her eyes. "It seemed such a long half mile." She opened her eyes, "They had beaten him and kicked him unmercifully. You saw the damage?"

Angela nodded, "We went to see Jon in the hospital, before they had released him."

Cam added, "It's hard to believe somebody could survive a beating like that."

"Well," Temperance continued, shakily, "when we got there, we could see that one of them had Jon's gun. He raised it to his head. That's when Chaz and I opened fire."

"Sweetie," Angela said, sorrowfully.

"I know," Temperance said, "I keep telling myself, if I didn't, it would be Jon who died that night." She looked at them more composed. "That's the important thing." She continued, "The other two guys took off running. Booth caught one of them and knocked him unconscious and I got the other one. I think he's still in the hospital." Cam and Angela looked at each other.

Cam sat forward, "Okay…blah…blah…blah. Get to the good stuff." Angela nodded in agreement.

Temperance looked down. "You both know that Booth and I have been getting close these past few months." She looked at Cam, almost guiltily. Cam nodded, with no hint of jealousy in her eyes. Temperance felt better about the situation already. "Well, after seeing Jon so badly beaten, he began pushing me away again. Blaming himself for what happened. Trying to protect me, I guess." Temperance had no intention of telling them Seeley's story. She already knew that he had not told Cam much about his background. That information was private and personal to him…and now to her. "I didn't know what to do…so I went to see Jon at the hospital. Cullen was there He told me I needed to force Seeley to confront his demons from his past." Cam and Angela looked at one another; neither had missed the _'Seeley'_ reference. "I went over to his apartment and we…" she searched for a good analogy, "reevaluated our relationship. And that's where we've been for the past couple of days."

"Reevaluated your relationship?" Cam asked. Temperance nodded.

"Did any of this reevaluation entail hugging and kissing and climbing the heights of ecstasy?" Angela asked. Temperance just looked at her. Angela continued on a different track, "And have you come to some sort of answer from this reevaluation?" Angela asked.

Temperance nodded again. She smiled and raised her left hand to head height, her palm facing her. Cam and Angela saw the ring at the same time.

* * *

The squeals of two women echoed through the examinations area of the Jeffersonian. Zack and Jack looked up from their work. "What is that? " Zack asked.

"I'm not an expert on all the sounds female Homo sapiens make," Jack began, "but from the tonal qualities, I'd have to say those are squeals of joy." Zack began moving towards the stairs. "No…" Jack said.

Zack looked back at him, "But…"

Jack shook his head, "They won't tell us. Not until they've completely talked it out amongst themselves." Zack looked towards Temperance's door, and then looked back at Jack. "It's just something women do."

The two men went back to their work.

* * *

After the three women had completed the round of hugs and congratulatory wishes, they all sat down again. "So, have you set a date yet?" Angela asked.

Temperance shook her head, "Not yet. We're still getting used to the idea that we Love each other." Temperance paused. And then, "I'm still getting used to _wanting_ to spend my life with one man."

Cam smiled, "Yeah…but it's a good feeling, isn't it?"

Temperance returned the smile, "Yes…I never thought I could feel this way." She looked at Cam seriously, "I know that you and Seeley have a history…" she started.

Cam shook her head, "Don't worry about it." She said. "That's what it is…history. I'm happy for you both. I know I wasn't what he needed. And, I could tell he was drawn to you. I wish you two all the best."

Temperance sat back in her chair, "Thanks, Cam. For everything…the time off, the schedule changes…everything."

"It wasn't a problem," Cam smiled. "Especially since everything came to such a happy conclusion."

Angela said, "Does Parker and Rebecca know yet?"

Temperance nodded, "We told them last Thursday. We wanted to take Parker to my Dad's for an end-of-summer barbeque on Saturday. We wanted to tell Max then, but we couldn't spring it on Parker then. So we had dinner with Rebecca and Parker and explained it to him."

"How did he take it?" Angela asked.

"After a couple of questions to make sure he was still going to see Seeley and that Rebecca was still going to be his Mom, he thought it was great!" Temperance smiled. "Seeley wanted to get my Dad's blessing for us to get married."

"He always was a romantic…even though he denied it." Cam said.

"How did that go?" Angela asked.

"Max told him he would be proud to have him as a son-in-law." She paused remembering the snake. "You should have seen it. Parker was playing lawn darts with Emma and Hayley. A cottonmouth had crawled into the yard. Emma screamed and we all started running towards the children." Temperance's smile grew wide; "You're not going to believe this…" she started.

"What? Did Booth shoot the snake?" Angela smiled.

"No! Parker threw the lawn dart at the snake and got it close enough that the snake struck at the dart instead of Emma!" Temperance laughed.

"Get the hell out!" Angela said, astonished.

Temperance nodded, "Russ asked Seeley if protecting people was hard wired into the Booth DNA." The three women laughed.

"So, what about where you're going to live? Are you going to move in together?" Angela asked.

Temperance nodded, "I've got a realtor looking for a place now that's big enough for all of our things and also, so Parker can have his own room when he comes over." She continued, "Actually, we've sort of been living together already. Over the last two months, either I've been at his place or he's been at mine. Having one place will certainly be more convenient. And if we need some time away from each other," she looked at Angela's dubious expression and nodded, "I know, it's so new and exciting now; I can't imagine needing time away from him. But if we do, we've always got the warehouse. Jon said that he would transfer ownership over to Seeley and me, and as a wedding present, he would pay the property taxes. We can just do some renovations and it can be like our big, little hideaway."

"What about the FBI?" Angela asked. "Won't they make you stop working with Booth once they find out you two are getting married?"

Temperance shook her head, "No…all that therapy that we thought we had to go through was just something the interim Deputy Director had cooked up. The Bureau doesn't really have a say who from the Jeffersonian is partnered with Seeley."

Cam nodded her head. "That's true," she said. "If I wanted to, I could assign Zack to him." The three women looked at each other. "Hey," she continued, "I'm just saying; if you ever want to get back at him for something…just let me know."

Temperance smiled, "Thanks, Cam…I'll keep it in mind." She continued, "But really, all the Bureau can do is request a different forensic anthropologist if the agent requests it." She started shaking her head, "And I don't think Seeley would request a change of partner."

Angela said, "You may be right. But you'll need to keep an eye on Booth to make sure he doesn't get so over-protective that he may request a new partner to keep you out of harm's way."

Temperance said, "I never thought about that, thanks."

Angela leaned forward, and with a sly look asked, "So, how did he propose?" She stopped, and then said, "Wait…_he_ did the proposing, didn't he?"

Temperance smiled and nodded, "Do you want the logical one or the romantic one?"

Cam leaned forward as well, "Oh…we've got to hear the romantic one."

"Well, we were walking, holding hands, out to the car in his parking garage and we were starting to have a mini argument, when he got down on his knees…" Angela and Cam's eyes started to flutter and soft murmurs came from their mouths. Temperance continued, "And he said, if I ever left him it would be like condemning a blind man who's had his sight restored, to an eternity of darkness." The murmurs turned into sighs. Temperance's eyes focused on something unseen as she said the words from memory, "He said, _'Through all the dangers, I've wanted to protect you. Is that so terrible? Is it so bad to protect the daisy from the frost? Or the songbird from the hawk? I cursed myself all through the other men in your life. I wanted you. More than you can know…more than you can dream. Yours is the first voice I want to hear in the morning, and the last I want to hear at night … I want to be able to turn over and hold you while I'm whispering 'I Love You'. Please…be my wife…for the rest of my life, and beyond if it exists.'_" Her head laid back against the chair, Temperance rotated her chair from side to side, lost in the memory.

"Wow," Cam said.

Angela, amazed, said, "Who knew Booth could be so poetic?"

Temperance snapped back to the present. "He's intelligent," she nodded. "He's got a Master's in Criminal Justice and a minor in Philosophy from Temple." Angela and Cam were unable to hide their astonishment. "It's true," Temperance reassured them. "And when you think about it, keeping up with all of us here would be pretty tough for just a normal, run-of-the-mill agent. But he does it."

"I guess he's full of surprises," Angela mused. "Anything else you can surprise us with?"

Temperance nodded, "He's kind of a traditionalist. Remember, I told you he asked my Dad for his blessing?" Cam and Angela nodded. Temperance held her hand up, showing the ring, "This belonged to his great-grandmother."

That was it for Angela, who started to cry. "Ohhhh, Sweetie! I'm so happy for you!" She went to Temperance and gave her a hug. Cam soon followed suit.

Temperance said, "Now, don't let on that I told you how much of a romantic he is. You know how embarrassed he gets." Angela and Cam nodded. Temperance looked at Angela seriously, "And don't tell Jack anything he can use to ride Seeley. You know how he can get."

Angela nodded, "You can count on me. Jack won't say a word."


	49. Decisions, Decisions

**A/N:** My thanks to all of you who are reading and enjoying this story! I am absolutely blown away by all of your comments (both positive and negative). Constructive criticism is always appreciated as well. It's amazing to me that this little story has attained over the 400 replies mark. It always makes my day to receive such supportive feedback. I've got a number of chapters still rattling around in my head. As well as some potential surprises. I hope you enjoy them.

**A/N:** If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. Amazingly, it's titled, "The Long Road Home Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, go to Forums / TV / Bones and then do a sort by Topic Count. It should be somewhere in the listing.

* * *

Jon looked at the target as he sat at the table. The warehouse was darkened except for the shooting range and this rest area. In order to conserve energy, they had decided to turn off the lights in the areas not in use at the time. Temperance sat across the table from Jon and could see, albeit upside down, the same groupings that Jon was now studying. Booth arrived at the table with three bottles of water. He opened one, while looking at the target – hoping to divine Jon's thoughts out of thin air. Seeley looked at Temperance and, smiling, handed her the open bottle. She took it with a happy smile, fully expecting Jon to shower Seeley with superlatives about his shooting. Seeley opened one of the other bottles and handed it to Jon, who took it without looking up. Seeley opened the last bottle and gulped it nervously. Jon's eyes flicked to Temperance's. He thought, _'Man…I hate to have to wipe that smile away.'_ He sighed. Looking back at the target he said, "This is pretty good, Seel." He didn't see Temperance's smile dissolve.

"But?" Seeley said.

Jon shook his head, "I mean it…it's a good effort." He saw Seeley's stoic acceptance and Temperance's recognition of a backhanded compliment. He continued, "And I think you can probably qualify with the Bureau as it stands now." Temperance's smile grew back, wider. He looked at Seeley. "Is this the level of expertise you're comfortable with?" He paused, "The reason I ask is that if you go in and qualify, you'll be activated now and put back on the street. Are you comfortable with that?"

Temperance wasn't sure what Jon was getting at. After all, wasn't getting Seeley back and weapons qualified what they were working towards all along? She could see Seeley working it through in his mind. Both Jon and Temperance could see indecision covering his face.

"Tell you what," Jon said. "Do you want to do an exercise that might help you decide?"

Seeley looked towards Temperance. After a moment's pause, he said, "Yes." He nodded his head at Temperance. She wasn't sure what was going on.

"Okay," Jon said. "Go get your running shoes on."

Seeley looked at Temperance. Giving her a smile, he left to change into his running clothes. Temperance looked back to Jon, "Okay…what's going on? Can he qualify or can't he?"

Jon nodded, "I don't have any doubt he can qualify." Jon said. "My concern is how effective he'll be on the street where he'll encounter something more than a paper target that isn't firing back."

"What are you going to do?" she said sarcastically. "Have you two stand at either end of the warehouse firing shots at one another?"

Jon started to laugh, "No…but that's an idea." He stood up and held out his hand, offering Temperance to join him. "I'm going to need your help." He said as he moved to the range controls and began flipping switches and adjusting controls.

"What do you want me to do?"

He stopped flipping switches and setting dials. He looked in her eyes, "Trust me."

* * *

Jon handed Seeley's weapons harness to him. He noted that Jon had put a laser sight on his weapon. He looked at him quizzically. "Put it on," Jon said, nodding. "You're going to need it." As Seeley did so, he saw Jon attaching a microphone to his own shirt. "Now, what you're going to do, is run about a quarter mile on the treadmill, run over here and fire into the target." Jon held up a small receiver. "Try it." Seeley aimed his weapon at the receptor and it began making a high-pitched warbling tone. Jon reset the receptor, and attached it to Seeley's shirt. "Got it?" Seeley nodded and holstered his weapon. Jon nodded to Temperance, who hit a button on the remote. Jon's voice echoed through the speakers, "There will be some distractions you'll have to cope with as well." Seeley nodded. "You understand what I want you to do?"

Seeley walked over to the treadmill, nodding his head. "How fast do you want me to run?" he yelled back.

"Figure about 7 miles an hour for now. That's a pretty good clip." Jon and Temperance began walking down to the range area. Seeley lost sight of them. Jon added, "When I say _'Now'_, that's when I want you to run over to the target area. Got it?"

"Got it!" Seeley yelled. He stood astride the belt; jumped on it and began running. He could see the lights, already dimmed in the warehouse, dimming even further. All except for the exercise area. He started counting off the seconds and then the minutes, trying to anticipate when Jon would give him the shooting command.

One minute passed. Then two minutes. _'11…12…13…14…"_ He heard Jon's voice over the speakers, "NOW!"

Seeley was surprised at his own agility when he leapt sideways landing on the concrete floor. As he moved towards the range, darkness enveloped the warehouse. Then strobe lights, white, red, and blue began flashing. Wails of sirens filled the warehouse. He drew his weapon. Arriving at the range, he looked down towards the target…and froze. He saw Temperance on her knees. Jon, standing behind her, his arm around her neck, a gun pointing at her head. He saw the receptor on Jon's forehead, darting beside her head and then sometimes disappearing behind her as Jon would look out from behind and then move his head back. He saw other receptors on other areas of Jon's extremities and his body, always in motion. Jon's voice bellowed, "She's dead…in five seconds, she's dead…"

The wails of the sirens pierced his ears, drilling into his brain, "_Four_…" He saw the head receptor and moved the sight up towards it only to see it disappear again. "_Three_…" He saw the perp begin dragging Temperance back. "_Two_…" Damnit! Couldn't get a clear shot! "_One_…" Temperance hit Jon in the stomach with her elbow. Doubled over, he let her go. He stood up. Seeley moved the laser towards Jon, only to hear, "_Zero_!" He heard simultaneously Jon's receptor and his own receptor accusingly begin their piercing screams.

The strobes and sirens cut out; replaced by the normal white lighting. Jon stood, pointing to a receptor in his chest. He touched a button and it silenced. Seeley looked down at the receptor on his shirt. He reached down and silenced it. Jon moved his weapon to his left hand. Turning to Temperance, he held out his right hand to her, helping her up. They walked up to where Seeley stood.

"I guess we've got something to talk about," Jon said.

* * *

The three were sitting around the table in silence. Jon took a drink of water. He absently rubbed his sore solar plexus. Temperance, noting the motion said, "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

Jon shook her off, "No need to worry about it." He smiled, "You did even better than I expected. That was exactly what I was looking for." He looked at Seeley, "How you two would react and work together." Looking back at Temperance, "You two did fine," looking at Seeley again, "if you were only interested in saving you. The perp is dead."

"But so am I," Seeley said. Jon nodded.

"So what does this mean?" Temperance asked.

Seeley said, "It means I have a problem."

Temperance looked at Jon, who nodded. "Seel has a problem with confidence. Prior to him being shot, in that same exercise, I never would have gotten down to 'Three'. Let alone all the way down to zero and actually get a shot off at him."

"So, what does _that_ mean?" Temperance said.

Seeley answered, "It means in a life and death situation, I may freeze due to a lack of confidence in taking the shot." He looked at her, "It means I may be putting you, me and everybody else at risk by going back out into the field."

Jon said, "Seel needs to be able to come upon a situation; figure out a shooting solution, and then be able to act on that solution, almost instinctively. The more he thinks about it, the bigger the chance he won't be able to act."

She turned to Jon, in alarm, "Can it be fixed?"

"The question is," began Jon. Turning to Seeley, "Does he want it to be fixed?"

"What are my options?" Seeley said quietly.

"Don't act so sad, Seeley. All of life is about change." He and Seeley looked at each other. "But you don't want to hear that right now. Okay…Options. First, this can be fixed, I think. But it will take time and a lot more work than you are putting into it now. If you go and qualify, you won't have the time to get it right the way you want it to be." He turned to Temperance, "I understand you're looking for a place for both of you to live." Temperance and Seeley both nodded. "You'll have to take the lead in that. Finding the place, dealing with everything and everyone, the logistics. Seel can help you pack and unpack and doing the actual moving. But all the planning and logistics, that will be on you." Temperance nodded. "I would need him focused."

"Second Option: you qualify and move into a more administrative role in the Bureau. Perhaps a Special Agent in Charge." Seeley opened his mouth, but Jon continued, "I know you already turned it down once." Temperance looked at Seeley in surprise. "I know you prefer being on the street and working solely in an office would be boring. But it would put you on the track towards management. Who knows? Maybe someday you could be a Deputy Director…No? Well, anyway, it is an option."

"Third Option: you qualify, and you're back on the street; but your roles," looking from Temperance to Seeley, "_both_ of your roles in investigations would need to change. No more rushing in. You would have to always call for backup. That kind of thing."

"Fourth Option: you retire and move down to Florida with Cricket and me." Jon stood up. "You guys talk it over. It's an important decision. One that the two of you have to be sure of." He started to move towards the sauna. "I'm going to sit in the sauna for awhile. You guys are more than welcome to join me. Your suits are hanging up by the lockers."

Temperance took Seeley's hand in hers. Their eyes locked, understanding passing between them.

* * *

"When were you offered a promotion?" Temperance asked still holding his hand.

"It was shortly after the case where the Middle Eastern man was murdered by his brother. The one where the brother was going to detonate a bomb at the Hamilton Cultural Center." Seeley said.

Temperance nodded, "I remember… it was our third case. The one after Cleo. The President was going to give you commendation in the Rose Garden, but you said no." Seeley nodded. "Why didn't you take the promotion?"

Seeley looked deeply into her eyes, "I'm not an office agent. I need to be out in the field. Plus…" he stopped.

"Plus what?" she asked.

"We were just starting to work together. I didn't want that to end."

'_Ohh…'_ she thought, _'This guy's a keeper…'_ She nodded her head. "I'm glad you didn't take it."

He smiled, "That makes two of us."

"So, we know you don't want to be an office agent. That takes Option 2 off the table."

Seeley said, "And I don't know about changing my style of working on the street. Especially when you're around."

"What do you mean by that?" she said.

"Well, you're always going off and doing something other than standing where I tell you to."

"So that removes Option 3."

"And I don't know about you," Seeley said, "But I'm not ready to retire and move to Florida." He continued, "And would you really move down to Florida if I go?" He shook his head. Answering his own question, "I wouldn't want you to." He looked at her, "You love working at the Jeffersonian. If need be, I'll just wait here in DC until you're ready to make that move."

Temperance smiled, "And how will you know when I'm ready?"

"You'll tell me, of course."

She smiled more broadly, "I guess that only leaves Option 1. Are you ready for the amount of work you'll need to put in?"

"Are you ready for the responsibility to find us someplace to live? And then put the effort into having that come off?"

"Do you trust me to find a place without your input?"

He leaned into her, his eyes never leaving hers, "I trust you with a lot more than that."

She leaned into him and kissed him. "Good. I would hate for this to be a one-way street."

"I've always liked roundabouts, myself." Seeley smiled.


	50. Adventures with Temperance

**A/N:** If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. Amazingly, it's titled, "The Long Road Home Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, go to Forums / TV / Bones and then do a sort by Topic Count. It should be somewhere in the listing.

* * *

Temperance lay on her stomach, lost in the touch of his hands. Seeley straddled her coccyx, his muscular legs on either side of her hips. She could feel his pelvis rock back and forth through both of their shorts as his hands worked the oil into her back, sides, arms and neck muscles. She thought, guiltily, _'I really should be doing this to him…He's the one whose muscles are being pounded every day.'_ She thought about the bruises she had seen on his legs, arms and torso. _'What the hell are they doing down there where Seeley could get those kinds of bruises?'_ When she came to his apartment today, she could see him flexing his hands and fingers. She had asked him about it, but like always, he waved it off as insignificant. Instead, he had caught her rubbing and trying to stretch out the back of her neck and upper back. Between working and going out apartment hunting, she was carrying a lot of tension there. Seeley had offered a massage, as a way of working out the kinks in his hands and relieving her tension. Who was she to argue?

She could feel him leaning down towards her. His chest lay on her back, his lips whispered softly in her ear, "How's that?"

"Mmmmm…"she smiled, not opening her eyes. "Can we stay like this for a week?"

She could hear him smile, "We can stay like this as long as you like."

Keeping her head nestled on the pillow, she slid her right arm out and back until it rested next to Seeley's calf. Her fingers gently stroked his ankle. "Where did you learn how to do that?"

"Well you know, _'Physiology'_ is my middle name."

"Funny," she said. "I thought _'Danger'_ was your middle name."

"Well," he said, "I thought I would change it just for you."

Temperance thought for a moment, "Do you have a middle name?"

Seeley smirked, "I just said it was _'Physiology'_. Aren't you paying attention?"

Temperance pulled out a hair from his leg. "Ow," he jumped a little. "Okay…no, I don't have a middle name. And you?"

"I think my parents may have thought giving me three new names would be too much," she shook her head. "I don't remember one." His arms burrowed between her and the bed. She felt his head nestle next to hers. "Seeley?"

"Mmmmm?" he said, luxuriously.

"When's your birthday? I mean, I know you were born in 1973. But, what day and month?"

"Why do you want to know?" he asked. "When is yours?"

"May 31st. It just occurred to me that in the three-plus years we've known each other, I've never seen you celebrate your birthday…or even mention it was coming up."

"I've never seen you celebrate yours either. Is it a big deal?" Seeley asked.

"Not really. I just thought it might be good information to have." She waited a couple of moments. "Seeley?"

"Mmmmm?"

Exasperated, she said, "So when _is_ your birthday?"

"September 24th," he said.

"That's only a couple weeks away," she said. And then more softly, "Honestly, it's like pulling teeth to get information out of you."

"I've been trained to resist that kind of interrogation technique." Temperance pulled another hair. "Ow…stop doing that!"

* * *

Temperance, Angela and Jo stood in the middle of the seemingly cavernous living room. Bereft of furniture and window coverings the room seemed gigantic. As the women waked from room to room, their heels clicked on the hardwood floors. That was the only item that Booth had said he would like to have in the new apartment. That is, besides a room that would be Parker's, for when he comes over. He had told her, 'I trust your judgment.' So now, standing in the middle of the living room, she had a slight twinge of being overwhelmed by the responsibility. "What do you think?" Jo said with a smile.

Temperance nodded her head. "Looks nice," she said, unsure. In actuality, this place was the best of the dozen or so apartments Jo had found. Temperance had been amazed at Jo's resourcefulness and attention to detail in finding one apartment after another, which more than adequately met her requirements. Temperance thought this place was perfect, but she wasn't sure Seeley would like it.

"Nice?" Angela said, incredulously. "If you don't want this place, I'm going to talk to Hodgins about it." Angela was genuinely confused by her friend's uncertainty. Temperance had always been so confident and sure of herself. She looked from Jo back to Temperance.

"I'm not sure…" Temperance started.

Angela turned to Jo, "Can you excuse us for a moment?" Jo smiled and moved into another room, her heels clicking on the floorboards as she walked. Angela moved closer to Temperance, "Okay Bren, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean where's that confident woman who bullied Booth into giving her a role in field work?" Temperance looked at her, unsure. Angela continued, "Where's that strong independent woman who makes women cry and men turn into jellyfish? You've never been this indecisive…about anything."

"Ange," Temperance started, "I just want to make sure I get this right. This isn't just for me. It's for Seeley as well."

"You two talked about what you wanted in a place, didn't you?" Angela asked. Temperance nodded her head. "Well, what are you looking for?"

"We're looking for a bigger place. At least three bedrooms, with a den so I can have a private place for my writing. At least two bathrooms. Seeley wanted hardwood floors. Plenty of storage space…" she trailed off. Angela, with an almost exasperated look, spread her arms wide and motioned for Temperance to look around. "I'm not sure if Seeley would like it, though."

Angela said, "Did he say he wanted to see it before you closed the deal?" Temperance shook her head. "Do you know why he didn't say that?" Angela continued. Temperance shrugged her shoulders. "Because he trusts you and your ability to make a decision!" Angela continued, "He _likes_ that independent, self-assured woman. He doesn't want a woman who needs to constantly run things by him. You know him…you know there are some things he just doesn't care about and would happily leave it up to someone else." Angela smiled, "Sweetie, he would live in a cardboard box down by the river as long as he was there with you." Temperance smiled. Angela said, "But more than that, he trusts you. It's time to trust yourself again."

Angela wrapped her arm around Temperance's and steered her into the large living room. "Now," she said, "What do you see in this room?"

Temperance smiled, willing to play along. "A couch, coffee table, recliner for Seeley and an accessory chair." She continued, "The plasma TV would go along that wall," pointing to the far wall. Moving her hand to another area, "I'd like to have a work table there, so I can do some puzzles or maybe some other crafts." She looked at the wide picture window. "I'd leave that open so we can get sunlight and enjoy the view, but we would need something to block it out for when Seeley is watching sports so there's no light reflecting onto the TV."

Angela's smile broadened, _'Now she's getting into it.'_ She thought. Angela steered Temperance into the kitchen. "How's the kitchen?" she asked.

"This will do," Temperance said. "Although, I'd like some different colors for the appliances."

"Will that work into your budget?"

Jo had returned, "We can talk to the owner and see if he'll come down on the price if you want to replace the appliances."

Angela said, "This is a condo, right? So she and Seeley can make renovations if they want to?"

Jo nodded, smiling, "Yes, of course."

Angela steered Temperance to another room, "So what will go in here?"

"This will be my study," Temperance said. "It's big enough for my home computer and my research books. And I can put a mini-stereo in so I can listen to music." Temperance then directed Angela and Jo into another room. "This is where we can set up a workout area for Seeley. We can put down mats and have some free weights…"

Temperance, caught up in the excitement now, dragged Angela into another of the rooms on the first floor, _'I've created a monster,'_ thought Angela. _'Well, at least she's made up her mind,'_ she smiled.

* * *

As Temperance was driving back to the Jeffersonian, her cell phone rang. She looked at it, recognizing Cricket's number she answered, "Brennan."

"Hello, Temperance?" Cricket's voice came over the speaker.

"Hello Cricket," Temperance said happily. "How are you?"

"I'm good," she sounded odd, Temperance thought. "And you?"

"Great," Temperance smiled. "I just put in an offer on a condo for Seeley and me."

"That's great!" Cricket's voice became more normal. 'Any ideas how long it will take to find out if it's been accepted?"

"Probably a couple of days," Temperance added, "We'll probably be moving in by the middle of next month."

"Good for you!" Cricket's voice became more subdued. "Hey, Temperance? Do you know what's going on at the warehouse?"

Temperance's mood sobered, "Just that Jon and Seeley are working on Seeley's shooting skills. Why?"

"Well," Cricket started, "Jon's been coming home with these strange bruises. I mean, new bruises."

"I was wondering the same thing," Temperance said. "Seeley's got these bruises all over his torso, arms and legs."

"Do you want to meet me there later? So we can get to the bottom of this?" Cricket asked.

"How about 2:00?" Temperance suggested.

"Sounds good…see you then." Cricket hung up.

"What was all that about?" Angela asked.

Temperance shook her head, "Both Jon and Booth are coming home with fresh bruises." She looked at her friend, "Want to come with us to solve a mystery?"

Angela smiled, "You bet."

* * *

The three women, plus Hodgins, crept into the darkened warehouse. They could hear the steady _'Ka-chow'_ of a firearm discharging. Turning the corner, they could see Seeley standing at the counter in his right-handed shooter's stance. He fired one last time and placed his weapon on the counter. A figure rushed out of the darkness and slammed into Seeley's back. They heard him grunt loudly as he was pushed into the counter top. They saw him stand upright and swing his left arm around, catching his assailant in the shoulder with his elbow. A right hand from the assailant burrowed into Seeley's ribs. The four of them started moving towards the two combatants. Temperance noted some of the mats had been moved from the exercise area and now lined the floor in the range area. Seeley pushed the man away, where he rolled over a couple of chairs. The man threw one of the plastic and chrome chairs. Seeley ducked, but one of the legs of the chair angled in and clipped his nose. His arm went up and he batted the chair away. The man rushed in again, but Seeley was ready for him. As he burrowed into him, Seeley brought both of his hands down upon the man's back, causing him to release his grip and stagger back. Seeley threw a roundhouse right, which clipped the man's jaw. The man went down. Surprising, as it seemed a glancing blow. Seeley turned and picked up his weapon. The man screamed, "Five,Two, Eight, Ace, King!"

Seeley, his breath rasping in and out of his lungs turned and fired downrange, _'Ka-chow… Ka-chow… Ka-chow… Ka-chow…Ka-chow.'_ The slide locked in the open position.

Temperance stood over the figure lying on the mat, her weapon trained on him, "Freeze!" she yelled. The figure stopped moving.

Seeley looked over and raised the lighting. "What are you doing, Bones?"

"Huh?" She looked at Seeley and then looked back down at…Jon! She relaxed, "_What_ are you guys doing?"

Seeley looked around at Temperance, Angela, Cricket was going to help Jon, and Hodgins. "What are you guys doing here?"

Jon leaned back. Looking into Cricket's eyes he said, "I'd guess they're here trying to figure out why we're coming home bruised every night." Cricket gently took his head in her hands. But he saw her stern look.

"This is training?" Temperance said loudly. "Trying to beat each other up?" She put her weapon away.

"Well," Seeley said. "It's adapting my body to different combat situations."

Temperance looked at him with complete skepticism.

"Let's take a look," Jon said, standing up. Seeley brought the target up to the counter.

Under her breath, Temperance muttered, "Stupidest thing I've ever heard of."

Jon said, "Hey…it's not like we were going full bore. You saw Seeley's punch. He pulled it. But I acted like I would have if it was a full strength blow." Temperance looked at him as though she didn't believe a word of it. "Are you going to tell me in your martial arts classes, you never spar?"

Her eyes zeroed in on Jon like a laser, "I could have killed you!" She yelled. "You don't think my reactions when I see Seeley being attacked is to destroy whatever is attacking him?"

Jon yelled back, "If we knew you were coming by, we would have told you what we were doing! But you and your…" he waved around at the group, "posse came skulking in here without our knowledge! What did you want us to do?"

Temperance decided to take a different tack, "How can this help him become a better shooter?"

Jon countered, "By introducing as many different combat scenarios and making him shoot based on those scenarios, he'll know he can do it when it really matters!"

"What kind of shooting can he possibly do after he's had a chair tossed in his face?" she looked at Seeley, "By the way, your nose is bleeding." Seeley's hand went to his nose and mouth; coming away with blood coloring his fingers.

Jon said, turning toward the target, "Let's just see." The group looked at the target. Playing cards had been attached to the normal paper targets they used. A Joker in the center of the target, with all the other thirteen cards of one suit scattered about the target. There were ten bullet holes in the center of the Joker card. Jon pointed to it, "This is Seeley shooting normally." Moving his finger around the target, "These others are after being attacked. What numbers did I yell out?"

Hodgins answered, "Five, Two, Eight, Ace and King." The group looked at him. He shrugged, "Hey, I'm good with numbers and cards." Angela smiled and encircled his arm with hers.

Looking back at the target, the group saw bullet holes in the center of all of the designated cards. Angela whistled. Temperance, feeling small, said, "I apologize." She looked at Jon. "Once again, you have an answer for everything," she said ruefully.

"Hey…Temperance. I'm not a know-it-all. In this area, I've got some techniques that are…unconventional, at best." He placed a hand on her forearm. "I'm sorry I scared you. We should have told you." He looked at Cricket, "_Both_ of you." Turning back to Temperance, "You reacted appropriately. Seel would have done the same thing. Except he would have blown my head off."

"We still cool?" he asked.

A slow smile came to her face. She nodded, "Yes…we're still cool." She looked at Seeley, "Just don't do that to me again."

"Good," Jon said. "Why don't you guys give Jack the dime tour while we get cleaned up, and then we can go get some dinner?"

Everybody agreed. While Jon and Seeley went to shower and change, Cricket, Temperance and Angela started showing Hodgins around the different equipment. Temperance's cell phone rang. She stepped away and took it. After a few moments, she stepped back into the group. To Cricket she said, "That was Cullen. He wants us to come in for a meeting with the prosecutor tomorrow." Cricket gave Temperance a curious look.

"Is that usual?" Angela asked.

Both Cricket and Temperance shook their heads. "No," Temperance said. "Normally we give the evidence packet to the prosecutor's office and then we're done with it until we go to trial. If the perpetrators cut a deal, that's the end of it."

Cricket added, "This means something else is up with the prosecutor."

"Who is the prosecutor?" Hodgins asked.

"Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Supek," Cricket answered.

Temperance, Angela and Hodgins all groaned as one.


	51. Can't See The Stars Anymore

**A/N:** If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. It's titled, "Mitoch's Fanfics Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, you go to Forums / TV / Bones (It should be somewhere in the listing). Or, you can do a Search / Forums using a keyword from the title. In the forum, there will be a listing of all threads contained in the forum. You can filter it by changing the category dropdown box to display only those threads under the specific story you're addressing (i.e. "Promises", "Long Road Home" etc.).

* * *

The elevator doors closed behind Cricket and Jon as they stepped through the glass double doors leading into the FBI offices. It was mid-morning and the sunshine flooding through the windows seemed unusually bright. Blinded for a moment, they almost missed Seeley, Temperance and Tams waving them over to the large conference room. Jon smiled and waved in recognition. Once arriving at the group, Jon and Cricket exchanged greetings with the others. Looking through the glass walls into the conference room, Jon could see five people already seated at the table. Two sets of a man and woman, parents of the perpetrators Jon surmised, and a petite, red-haired woman wearing glasses. He could see the evidence packet in front of her and deduced she was Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Supek. He nodded at the four in the conference room, "Are those the parents? Tom and Nancy Foster…Tim and Cathy Meacham?"

Seeley gave a quick glance into the room, "I think so…the other woman is Lisa Supek."

Jon looked at Seeley, "She's the prosecutor you told me about? The one who's afraid to go to trial without a _'slam dunk'_?"

Seeley and Temperance nodded. The group heard the _'Ding'_ of the elevator's arrival and turned to see Cam, Angela, Hodgins and Zack step off. The two groups waved at one another and the new arrivals made their way to join the others. Cricket said, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it unusual for representatives of the accused to be at one of these meetings?" she continued, "I mean, in all the pretrial meetings I've been in, it's usually only been with the prosecutors."

Seeley and Jon both nodded their heads. "Normally," Seeley said, "that only happens when they're trying to plead the case down."

"But the other side's lawyers are usually present, too," Jon added. He turned to Tams, "I don't see Chaz?"

She nodded, "He and Jules left on vacation two days ago." Jon's face looked pained. "Tom and I were going to go and meet them in upstate New York today, but once we got word about this meeting, we figured we'd hold off for a day and see what's going on." The _'Squint Squad'_ joined the _'Nerd Posse'_ and introductions were made all around.

Jon put a hand on Tams' forearm, "Thanks. If I don't see Tom before you go, no matter what happens here, tell him I said to have a good time. Going to one of the Finger Lakes?"

Tams nodded, "My Dad has a parcel of land with some cabins on Owasco Lake."

Booth added, "That's some beautiful country up there."

Temperance noted, "I've never been there…I've heard good things about the area, though."

Tams said, "If you ever want to go, I'll see about having my Dad let you use the cabins." She smiled, "Not this weekend, though."

Temperance smiled, "Thanks, I'll keep it in mind."

Jon said conspiratorially to Tams, "Did Tom get a chance to…" Tams nodded and patted her laptop.

"Who are we waiting on?" Cam asked.

"Ahh," Jon said, noting Sam Cullen advancing to the group. "Here comes our fearless leader."

"Don't you mean fearsome leader?" he said, joining the group. That did the trick, most of the tension and apprehension dissolved away with the nervous laughter. Everybody knew whose side he backed. He went around and introduced himself to those he had not met before: Jack, Zack, Cam, and Tams. Temperance noted that Cullen acknowledged Cricket with a nod.

"What's going on Sam?" Jon asked.

Cullen shook his head, "I'm not sure. I just got a call from Assistant U.S. Attorney Supek that she wanted to have a meeting with those involved with the case. She wouldn't give me any specifics about a problem with the case." Looking into the conference room, his expression took on a more irritated look. "Why those people are included, we'll just have to see." He started to usher people into the room.

"I hope the room is big enough," Zack said.

* * *

Once all the introductions had been made and everyone was seated around the table, AUSA Supek said, "I wanted to meet with everyone involved in the case before presenting it to the grand jury."

"With all due respect," Jon said, "why are the parents of the suspects included in this meeting?" Tams opened her laptop. The clicking of the keystrokes was clearly audible throughout the room.

"I felt that if they could hear the evidence against them, they may wish to consider a plea agreement for their children," Supek said.

"But doesn't that allow them access to information they normally would not have? Helping them to formulate a strategy of defense?" Temperance asked.

"We are required to hand over all evidence to the defendants in any case, Doctor Brennan," Supek countered.

Cullen interrupted, "Their lawyers are entitled to the evidence. Not how we arrived at the conclusions."

Supek sternly said, "I've allowed them to be here for this meeting. That is no longer an issue." She looked from one to the other. Seemingly irritated by the clicking, she asked Tams, "Young lady, what are you doing?"

Tams looked at her, "I'm a computer expert. Part of my job is to monitor the network for problems." She looked at Cullen, "Do you want me to stop?"

Cullen looked deep into her eyes, he smiled slightly, "No, you can continue." He turned to Supek, "I'm not going to take our network down for this meeting. From what I understand, she played a role in the case, so you've got two options: reschedule the meeting for a time when she's not working, or you may as well go on."

Cullen's voice told her the issue was non-negotiable. "All right," she said, "who would like to start?"

Cullen crossed his arms. He looked towards Jon and rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Preliminary examination of the victim revealed that he had been beaten and then burned," Cam said. "Examination of the discovery location showed the body had been burned elsewhere and dumped at the scene."

Jon added, "Security cameras on Memorial Drive showed a dark colored SUV making a high-speed turn on Memorial Drive and then accelerating away from the cemetery gates."

"It was at that point," Cam continued, "the body was dumped on the pavement."

Hodgins continued, "Particulate studies of the scene showed no carbon scoring or other evidence of a fire."

Booth said, "This allowed us to conclude the victim was killed and burned elsewhere and then dumped."

"Further examination revealed 23 markers of bruising or fractures on the bones," Temperance said. "The examination also revealed carbon deposits in his trachea, suggesting he was still alive when he was immolated."

The two sets of parents had been noticeably quiet during this run-down. Temperance turned to them, "Do you understand what that means? That he was beaten, left for dead, and then burned after the perpetrators found out that he was still clinging to life?"

Supek said harshly, "Doctor Brennan, please direct all comments to me." Temperance looked at Seeley as Supek continued, "If they need clarification, they will ask me." Silence enveloped the room. Seeley put his hand on Temperance's forearm. He turned and looked at Jon's face, a mask of calm, but rage beginning to build in his eyes. Supek continued, "How was the identification made?"

Angela said, "Using the Pentagon's database, we matched dental records with Sergeant Harold Williams. A Distinguished Service Cross recipient."

Supek said, "That last part is irrelevant to the investigation."

Angela looked around, "With all due respect, it helped us link two other bodies to the same killers."

"How so?" Supek asked.

Cullen said, "All three victims, and the potential 4th victim," Cullen looked at Jon, "were older veterans."

"Were they all highly decorated?"

"No," Cullen said, "but you can't discount the similarity in the occupations of the victims."

Supek made a few notes in her notebook. "How did you tie all the victims together?" Tams, who had been quiet during most of the meeting, began another round of ministrations on her keyboard.

Seeley said, "They were all veterans. Drugged with rohypnol, beaten and then dumped at or near a government facility."

Supek looked through some papers, "There was one body that wasn't burned?"

Cam said, "Correct. That would be Specialist Sidney Johnson. He was killed by an overdose of rohypnol."

"How did you tie this one with the others?"

Zack said, "He had been beaten, post mortem."

"After he was dead?" Supek asked.

Zack looked from Temperance to Cam, "Yes, that is what I just said."

"And the other one?" Supek asked.

"The other victim," Jon said through clenched teeth, "was Corporal Tommy Donovan. A recipient of four Purple Hearts."

"Again, not relevant," Supek said. "These people were all homeless, is that correct?"

Hodgins said, "Why would that matter?"

Supek looked at him, "I'm just trying to get a fuller picture."

"Well, how about the picture that includes these people's," he motioned at the Fosters and Meachams, "sons' boots match the injuries on the bodies. Or how about little Tommy Foster had residue of rohypnol on his hands when they were tested the night they tried to murder Agent Smith here?" He motioned towards Jon, "Or that I found trace elements at the crime scene and on the bodies that puts all three bodies there?" Angela put her hand on Jack's elbow.

"We'll get to that, Mr. Hodgins," Supek said.

"That's Doctor Hodgins, to you," he said, nodding his head defiantly.

"Let's discuss what happened the night of the arrest of the Meachams and Fosters' sons and the killing of Jack Raburn," Supek said.

Temperance looked around and saw Jon's head shaking in disgust. She could see the anger building in Seeley's eyes. Cullen seemed implacable.

Jon started, "A few days before that night, I had gone undercover at St. Anthony's as a homeless war vet. It was there that I met Tommy," he nodded towards the Fosters. "He struck up a conversation with me…asking where I was staying, what I was doing in town, those sorts of things. He suggested an area under an overpass where other homeless veterans live and sleep. I thanked him and we exchanged names."

"What name did you give him?" Supek asked.

"Beau," Jon said.

"Did you ask him to show you where it was?"

"No." Supek nodded her head, writing into her notebook. Jon continued, "That night I went home normally. After that, for the next couple of nights, I stayed under the overpass."

"Did you do any drinking?" Supek asked. Tams made a few keystrokes.

Jon smiled, "A little bit. A sip here and there." He turned and looked at Seeley, nodding his head. He looked at Cullen, who didn't seem to react at all. "On the third night, a dark-blue SUV pulled up and Tommy called me over."

"He called you by name?"

Jon nodded, "I went over to him and made some small talk. If you want to know what was said, you can listen to the surveillance materials."

Supek nodded, still writing. "And who set up the listening and recording devices?"

"That would be me," Cricket said. "Christine Stapleton."

"And what are your qualifications for performing such work?"

Taken aback, Cricket looked at Cullen, Jon and Seeley. She icily looked back at Supek, "I possess a Masters in Electrical Engineering in Applied Acoustics from MIT…I have held the position of Department Head for the FBI's Audio Lab for 7 years. During that time, I have worked on the JFK assassination tapes as well as worked with NASA in evaluating the Columbia tapes. Do you need a list of published articles, as well?"

Temperance laughed. The group looked at her. She stopped laughing, but the smile didn't leave her face. In her conversations with Cricket, she knew there was more to her than simply being an audio tech. Supek cleared her throat, "No…that won't be necessary. But am I correct in noting that you and Agent Smith are presently in a physical relationship?"

Cricket's tone turned steely, "I'm not sure what bearing it has on my qualifications, but no, we are not in a physical relationship, if you're asking whether we are sleeping together. We do kiss, hug and cuddle from time to time. But more to your point, we are, however, in a spiritual, intellectual and psychological relationship."

Supek looked at her blankly. Cullen said, "They're engaged." Comprehension dawned on her face and she made a few notations in her book.

"Go on," Supek said.

Jon smiled at Cricket, "Anyway, the three suspects suggested I join them at another location. They used the motivation of buying some liquor to entice me into the SUV."

"You realize, minors buying alcohol is illegal?"

Jon shook his head, "I never asked them to buy it for me. They said they would do it with no coaxing from me. As I said, listen to the surveillance." He paused a moment, "Listen, do we really need to go through every little detail here? If you've got questions about the evidence, why don't you just ask them?"

Supek nodded, "All right. How were you followed to the Foster's property?"

Tams spoke up, "Agent Smith was implanted with an RFI tracking device. Using GPS technology, I could tell Agent Booth where they were at any time."

Supek, looking at her notes, "Agent Booth, you were part of the team? Even though you are on modified duty?"

Seeley said, "That's correct. I was there for my tactical expertise." He continued, "I drove the van. You've got all this in the reports."

"Are you qualified to carry a gun, Agent Booth?"

"Not at this time," Seeley said. He continued, "However that is a moot point as I did not carry a weapon that night."

"You were unarmed?" Supek asked, incredulously. Booth smiled, and nodded.

Supek turned her attention back to Jon, "Agent Smith, how can you be sure it was Mr. Foster who initiated the altercation?"

"You mean beating," he corrected. "An altercation occurs when two or more people have an argument which escalates into violence." Jon looked at her dispassionately. "I could see both Mr. Raburn and Mr. Meacham when I was struck. Are you saying there was another individual there?" Temperance saw the Fosters look towards one another.

"I'm not asserting anything. I'm asking for clarification is all. How could you be certain? You were under the influence…" Supek said.

Jon interrupted, "My blood alcohol level was .02. Well below the threshold of being under the influence."

"I don't see that anywhere in the evidence packet," Supek noted, looking through the paperwork.

"It's in my private medical records." He paused, and then explained, "I had the hospital do a BAC as more documentation for the case. I didn't think it would be needed…especially by the prosecution." His gaze turned to Supek. Temperance had seen that look before.

"How do you know that Mr. Foster was the one who attacked you with the knife?"

"The knife recovered by Agent Booth had only Mr. Foster's fingerprints as well as traces of Agent Smith's blood," Cam said.

"You're an alcoholic aren't you, Agent Smith?"

"What are you getting at?" Cullen asked.

"Agent Smith may have been mistaken who was who at the campsite," Supek said. She continued, "And frankly, I don't know if I can put him on the stand with his past problems with alcohol."

Cullen countered, "Agent Smith has already said his BAC was well below the standard set for DUI. In addition, I'm sure we have many witnesses to his character."

Tams said, "I've been with Agent Smith a number of times at a bar and all I've ever seen him drink was a club soda."

"So, he frequents bars?"

Cricket snapped, "We meet there as a team in a non-office setting to discuss cases and socialize."

"And as far as his past use of alcohol, I am sure his former partners will be more than happy to testify to his character." Cullen added.

"With all due respect, Director Cullen," Supek said. "Agent Booth will have problems of his own; disobeying his modified duty assignment, going out into the field, excessive force…"

Seeley looked flabbergasted. "Excessive force? How do you figure? He came at me with a knife!"

Cullen used his command voice, "All right! Let's everybody settle down." Silence occupied the room. He continued, "I wasn't talking about only Agent Booth when I mentioned Agent Smith's prior partners. I'm talking about his first partner when he entered the Bureau."

"What kind of character does this person have?" Supek asked.

"Exemplary," Cullen said simply. He continued, "He'll make an impressive character witness."

"I'll be the judge of that," Supek said snidely. "When can I talk to him?"

"What do you want to know?" Temperance swiveled her head towards Cullen, instantly making the connection. She turned and looked at Cricket who sat back, a smile coming to her lips. Jon and Booth offered no reaction. Tams clicked a few keystrokes.

"Well, first off, I'd like to know who he is," Supek said imperiously. "And how can I be sure he's credible?"

Temperance thought, _'She doesn't get it.'_ She smiled.

Cullen's eyes flicked from Jon to Booth to Temperance to Cricket. He leaned forward, "Ms Supek…_I_ was his partner. What kind of credibility does the Deputy Director of the FBI carry?"

Hodgins laughed. As everyone looked at him, he couldn't help but laugh again with an expression of helplessness.

* * *

"Nonetheless," Supek said, "Character witnesses aside…I'm not sure with all of the potential weaknesses of the case, I can get a conviction. Is there some agreement that we can come to that would satisfy everyone?"

Temperance said, "The weaknesses in the case wouldn't be there if you had acted like a prosecutor instead of the defense attorney."

Cullen nodded, "I'm afraid I have to agree with Doctor Brennan on this one." He turned to Supek, "If anyone has caused weaknesses in this case it's been you. Conducting this meeting with the parents of the suspects present. Raising issues that at best are minor."

"Please," Mrs. Foster implored, "Can't you do anything to help them? They're just boys." Everybody turned to look at her.

"What do you suggest?" Jon said. "What would be an appropriate punishment?"

"Can't they be tried as minors?" An explosion of incredulity filled the room. "They're just boys…they didn't know…"

Temperance interrupted her, "They didn't know there are consequences for killing people?"

Mrs. Meacham said, "They probably wouldn't have lived much longer anyway….All we're asking for is a little mercy."

"Mercy?" Cricket exploded. She pointed at Jon, "Does he look like he's going to die anytime soon? They were going to kill him!"

Mrs. Foster said, "But he doesn't look like he was injured very badly…"

Cricket stood up. She pulled out some photographs from her inner suit pocket. One by one, she laid them down in front of the Fosters and Meachams. "Not injured very badly? What do these look like? And you want to talk about mercy?" Cricket sat back down, looking at the four parents accusingly. The two families pushed the photographs away.

Mrs. Foster said, "Dietrich Bonheffer said, _'The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children'_. Can't you do something for our children?"

Temperance said disgustedly, "You're quoting philosophy as justification for looking the other way at the heinous acts your sons have done?" She continued, almost in revulsion, "Honi soit qui mal y pense."

Seeley smiled at the blank stares from the two sets of parents. He explained, "What Doctor Brennan just said is a quote from Edward III, _'Evil be him who evil thinks'_."

To the two sets of parents Jon said, "So, you took a philosophy course or two in your college days. Did you actually learn anything? What disciplines did you study? Realism, Rationalism, Idealism, Pragmatism? How about Existentialism? Or did you just use it to garner quotations to justify your egocentricity?" Silence. He continued, "You like quotes? How's this for a quote: _'A free society is a place where it's safe to be unpopular'_ – Adlai Stevenson." Jon stood and pointed his finger at the parents, "You've made it unsafe. Especially so for veterans, who have earned the right to live out the rest of their lives in safety. You created the animals that made it so. If I could, I would arrest you. Instead, I'll take comfort in putting your creations in the cages they belong." Mrs. Meacham and Mrs. Foster sobbed openly. Jon looked at Cullen, "I can't take much more of this. Let me know what's decided. I trust your judgment." Jon made his way to the door; Cricket followed him through it.

* * *

"Wait, Jon!" Cricket said.

Jon stopped halfway to the elevators. He turned around. Cricket was surprised to see his eyes wet with tears. But none fell as he shook his head, "Is this what we've become? A nation of people trying to justify sociopaths' actions?"

Cricket took him in her arms, "I know baby," she soothed. "Maybe it's just us. You, me, Booth, Temperance and the others. Maybe we are all that matters."

He took a deep breath. Looking in her eyes, he said, "Can we go out this weekend?"

She stared deep into his eyes, "Out? On the boat? All weekend? Sure. When do you want to leave?"

Jon said, "Today. How about right after the meeting is done?"

"Isn't the meeting done now?" She tilted her head towards the conference room, "They're there and we're out here."

"You need to go back in," Jon said. At Cricket's look of reluctance he said, "For now, you still work for the Bureau. You need to go back in. I'll meet you at the boat."

She nodded and leaned in and kissed him. Smiling she said, "What should I tell Booth and Temperance?"

"Tell them," he paused, "Tell them I can't see the stars anymore."

She nodded her understanding, kissed him again and went back to the meeting.

* * *

Temperance's phone vibrated. She opened her incoming mail message and then passed it to Cullen. He turned to Tams, "Can you put this on the monitors?"

Tams nodded, "Let me know when you're ready."

Cricket re-entered the room. Temperance leaned over to her, "Is he okay?" Cricket silently nodded. "Don't worry," Temperance continued, "I think things are going to get better soon." Temperance sat back.

Mrs. Meacham said to Temperance, "Doctor Brennan, surely you can understand where we're coming from."

Temperance nodded, "Yes, I can see where you may think I may come down on your side of this issue. You think I'm the most educated because of my background, so I will be the most progressive in my thinking? However, from what I can gather, you four and Ms Supek are the least educated in the room. Everybody else has at least a Masters or higher." The Fosters, Meachams and Lisa Supek looked from one to the other. "Since you like quotations so much, you may be able to glean my position for this from Aristotle, _'Man perfected by society is the best of all animals. He is the most terrible of all when he lives without law and without justice'_. I believe Sergeant Harold Williams, Corporal Tommy Donovan, Specialist Sidney Jonson and Sergeant Jon Smith deserve justice be done for them." She looked at Cricket, who looked at her with tears in her eyes; grateful for Temperance's inclusion of Jon in her list of victims.

"Ms Supek," Cullen said. "I am letting you know that I will be petitioning the Attorney General to replace you as prosecutor for this case."

"On what grounds?" Supek asked haughtily.

"Your maiden name was _'Collins'_ wasn't it?" Cullen asked Supek. She nodded. Cullen turned his gaze to Mrs. Foster, "And yours was _'Lewis'_, correct?"

"Yes," Mrs. Foster said. "But what does that have to do with…"

Cullen nodded to Tams. A black and white photograph appeared on the three monitors. Cullen said, "This is a photograph from the 1987 Widener College yearbook." He turned to the two women, "You both attended Widener College?" Both women stared at the photograph. It was of two young women, dressed in costumes, arms around one another, one of a 1920s flapper and the other as Princess Leia from Star Wars. The caption read, _'Nancy Lewis and Lisa Collins – Best Friends Forever.'_

Cullen said, "I believe you have a conflict of interest, Ms Supek."

* * *

The group stood outside the conference room. Cullen, Supek, the Fosters and Meachams had left. All but Cullen in nasty moods. "So, where's Jon?" Temperance asked.

"He's getting the boat ready," Cricket said. Seeley and Temperance looked at Cricket concerned. "We're going to go out for the weekend."

"How is he?" Seeley asked.

"Physically he's okay. Mentally…" she paused, "He said he couldn't see the stars anymore."

Understanding flooded Seeley's eyes. He looked at Temperance and saw she understood as well. Temperance asked, "Do you think he would mind some company?" nodding her head towards the gang from the Jeffersonian.

Cricket smiled, "I think he'd appreciate it…Let him know he's not alone."

"Good," Temperance smiled. "Don't let him leave until we get there." Cricket nodded and left for the elevator.

Seeley said, "Now let's see how many of the squint squad want to spend two days on a boat with us." Temperance laughed.


	52. The Backbone of Night

**A/N:** If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. It's titled, "Mitoch's Fanfics Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, you go to Forums / TV / Bones (It should be somewhere in the listing). In the forum, there will be a listing of all threads contained in the forum. You can filter it by changing the category dropdown box to display only those threads under the specific story you're addressing (i.e. "Promises", "Long Road Home" etc.).

* * *

Trying to jam more bagged ice into the freezer, Jon thought, _'Why the hell did she bring so many supplies? Six trips back and forth to the car, just to get the stuff on the boat. Now, I've got to get the stuff stored __someplace__.'_ He put all of his weight on the lid and finally heard the latch click shut. _'I've got to remember to stand as far away as I can when I open this again.'_ He looked around at all the snack food, cold cuts, bread and condiments. _'Well, some of this stuff is just going to have to stay out on the table.'_ He opened the fridge and put the cold cuts and condiments inside. Rotating his gaze around, his eyes landed on the cases of beer, wine coolers and soft drinks. _'What the hell was she thinking?'_ He shook his head, smiling ruefully, _'Well, at least we won't have to do any more shopping for awhile.'_

He heard Cricket's voice from above deck, "Honey? Can you come give me a hand with something?"

"Be right there," he singsonged. He thought, _'She's got more stuff?'_

He gave the hydrogen tanks a last look, making sure they were full, and then moved towards the stepladder leading up to the main cabin. He stood at the bottom of the stepladder; looking around, he didn't see anything to raise any red flags over, so he hit the light switch and climbed to the main deck level. He spotted a couple of coolers sitting near the bed. _'Now, what the…'_ Her voice, talking to someone interrupted his thoughts. He moved to the double glass doors and stepped through onto the aft deck.

As he stepped out into the bright sunlight, the conversation had stopped. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust. When he could finally see, Cricket stood before him smiling, "These people wanted to know if they could come aboard," she pointed towards the dock. "I told them I had to ask the Captain."

Jon turned and saw Seeley, Temperance, Angela, Hodgins, Zack and another woman he didn't know. They were all smiling and said as one, "Permission to come aboard, sir!"

Jon smiled broadly, as all of the negativity and anxiety pressing upon him melted away. "Permission granted!" he shouted, "Let's get all of your gear on board. We're wasting daylight!" He reached out for Cricket and folded her inside his arms. "I Love You," he said into her ear.

"It was Temperance and Booth's idea," she whispered back.

"Doesn't mean I don't Love You." He hugged her tighter.

* * *

When all of the extra coolers and supplies the group had brought were loaded, Jon and Cricket gave the new arrivals the rundown on safety on the boat. Those who couldn't swim would have to wear lifejackets at all times. It turned out everybody could. While the ship was in motion, everybody had to wear the lifejackets. That way, in the event someone fell overboard the person could stay afloat until Jon could double back and pick him or her up. No rough housing while the boat was in motion. Once they moved into open water and then dropped anchor, those who wanted to could go swimming. But under the "buddy system." He also showed them where the two life rafts were and how to inflate them. Jon and Cricket started handing out lifejackets to the passengers.

As Jon handed lifejackets to Zack and his friend he said, "Well Zack, I've been waiting patiently for you to introduce your friend."

"I apologize, Dad." Zack said. He noticed Jon's eyes narrow and said, "I apologize, Agent Smith. I just thought since we are out of the laboratory and in a social setting it would be all right to call you what the rest of your team calls you."

Jon paused a moment, "You know what, Zack? You're right. You can call me Dad if you like," Jon swiveled his head towards Seeley and interrupted him just as he was about to say something, "You can't." Seeley's jaw closed.

To the young woman Zack said, indicating Jon and Cricket, "This is Agent Smith; an old friend of Agent Booth's who has been working with Doctor Brennan while Agent Booth recovers from his gunshot wound. And this is Agent Smith's fiancé, Cricket. That's not her real name, it is a nickname. She also works at the FBI." Zack then presented the woman to Jon and Cricket, "This is Naomi from Paleontology."

"Pleased to meet you Naomi," Cricket hugged her. Naomi seemed to relax a bit from the ordeal of meeting new people.

Jon shook her hand. He guessed her to be in her mid twenties, blond with a patch of reddish-tinted hair in front and more of the reddish tints coloring the ends of her hair. "Hello Naomi. Is that your real last name, _'from Paleontology'_?" Jon said with a smile.

She returned the smile, "Naomi Armstrong. But just Naomi will do fine. And what should I call you, sir?"

Jon looked aghast, "Certainly not _'sir'_." Jon motioned to Zack, "He calls me Dad. If you would prefer, you can call me Jon. Either one is fine." Naomi nodded, now visibly more at ease.

Jon turned to Temperance and Seeley, "Is this it? No Cam or anybody else?"

Temperance said, "Cam had a family thing that she couldn't get out of."

Seeley added, "She wanted to come, but if you knew her family, you'd understand why she had to go to that one instead of here with us."

"All righty then." Jon turned to Cricket, "Once we get underway, would you mind giving everyone the dime tour while I get us going?" Cricket nodded. Jon said in a louder voice, "Can I get some help on the fore and aft lines?" He climbed the steps to the bridge.

"I've got the fore line," Seeley shouted back and jumped back onto the dock.

"I've got the aft," Hodgins said, repeating Seeley's motions.

Jon started the engine and told Seeley, standing at the forward cleat and Jack, standing at the aft cleat to cast off. The two unraveled the lines tying Calliope to the dock and then jumped aboard. Jon eased the boat towards the Potomac; heading eventually to open waters.

* * *

Cricket walked everyone through the master stateroom and guest stateroom. She pointed out the bathroom areas with the showers, toilets and sinks. She also showed them the fully stocked galley with the microwave and bottled natural gas range. Everyone seemed duly impressed.

Jack said, "Now, we're moving…because I can feel it." He continued, "But I don't hear the massive engine whining that would accompany a boat this size."

Cricket nodded her head, "Jon had the engine converted to a Hydrogen fuel cell." Jack looked impressed. She continued, "I can take you below deck and show you, if you like."

"I'm sure we'll have plenty of time in the next two days," he said. "Thanks."

"If anybody would like to plug any mp3 players into the ship's sound system, we can certainly do that," Cricket said. "Although be warned, majority rules on the choice of music."

Cricket opened up a couple of doors and pulled out some folding chairs. She handed them to Jack and Zack, "Could you please set these up on the aft deck? Might as well take advantage of what's left of the sun today."

Temperance, Naomi and Angela also helped the two men set the chairs up. Looking around for Seeley, she saw him up on the bridge talking to Jon. Jon was leaning back in his captain's chair steering the wheel with his feet. She might have worried if she didn't catch Jon's attention moving with regularity back and forth between Seeley and where the boat was going.

"Seeley," she called.

Seeley turned and smiled, "Yes?"

Temperance returned the smile, "Do you want a chair?" She held up a folding chair for him to grab. He reached over the railing and brought it up to him.

"Thanks!" he said down to her. "Could you please pass a beer and soda up to us?"

She moved to the coolers, lined up along the side of the boat. "Don't get used to this. I'm not going to _'step and fetch'_ for you all weekend." She pulled a Miller Genuine Draft out and a Diet 7-up, and passed them up.

"Even though in your bathing suit you are extremely fetching, I never expected you to be my servant girl," he gave her his genuine smile. "Thanks!" he said taking the two bottles.

Zack called up, "Agent Booth and Agent Smith, would you mind if I came up?"

"Not at all, Zack," Jon said. If anyone else wants to come up, that would be fine too. More than five at a time would make it kind of crowded, though." Zack looked to Naomi for approval, who nodded her head. Jack looked to Angela.

"Go," Angela said. "Go do whatever it is that you men do when you're bonding." Jack leaned in and kissed her. Zack had just completed passing his chair up to Seeley and moved over to the ladder. Jack passed his chair up as well and followed Zack up the rungs.

Cricket appeared in the cabin doorway with a fruit tray. She looked around. Moving onto the aft deck, she turned and spotted the men up on the bridge. Smiling, she looked back at the other three women, "Good, now we can talk about them."

* * *

"So you really converted this to a fuel cell?" Hodgins asked.

"Yeah," Jon said. "Cost me a pretty penny too. You'd think, all these people screaming about alternate energy, they'd make the technology cheaper." He noted Zack looking at the instruments. "Have you ever driven a boat this size, Zack?"

Zack looked at him, surprised. "No, I haven't Agent Smith. I've been on my father's fishing boat a number of times, but he only let me steer it once."

"Why only once?" Seeley asked.

Zack turned to him, "I hit a submerged tree." Jack laughed. "It wasn't my fault," Zack said, hurt. "It was submerged…I couldn't see it."

Jack, still laughing said, "I know it wasn't your fault. It just seems somehow, appropriate."

Jon looked at Zack, "Want to give this a try?"

Zack looked at him in astonishment. He thought for a moment and then finally said, disappointedly, "I don't think it would be a very good idea. I can't even drive a car or ride a bike."

Jon sat up and placed his feet on the bridge. He reached down and pulled the pin holding the seat, sliding it back to the edge of the bridge as he stood up. "Well, all of those things take doing to learn. The same principle applies here. Come on," he motioned for Zack to take the wheel.

Zack looked nervously at Seeley, who gave him a look of encouragement, and then at Hodgins, who nodded, and smiling said, "Mr. Addy, your station please."

Zack cautiously moved over to Jon and placed his hand on the wheel. Seeley and Jack exchanged amused looks. "Okay, Zack," Jon said, directing his attention to the waters in front of them. "We're going to be going down the Potomac to open waters. The main thing you need to do is watch out for other traffic and keep those green buoys and signs to the right of the boat. They signify shallow waters." He pointed to a black lever, "This is the speed control, called the throttle…up is faster, down is slower…go ahead and try it."

Nervously, Zack moved his left hand to the lever. So concentrated on the controls, buoys and looking out for other water traffic he didn't see Jack and Seeley waving frantically towards the women down on the deck. Angela caught sight of Jack waving at her and then saw Seeley waving also. "Bren," Temperance looked at her. "What are they doing?" At that, all of the women looked up at the bridge. They saw Seeley and Jack making motions to hold onto something, and Jon was standing next to Zack, who looked like he was driving the boat?

Temperance smiled, remembering the day she and Seeley had gone out together. Jon had done this same thing, teaching Seeley how to steer. She was glad that he had picked Zack this time. She looked at Cricket, who said, "It looks like Jon is teaching Zack how to drive. This must be the part where he teaches him about the throttle." She turned to Angela and Naomi, "Hold onto something in case he gets too excited and moves it too quickly." The two women looked around, almost frantically looking for purchase.

Zack edged the throttle upwards. He felt a corresponding surge in speed. Looking to his right, he could see the surrounding landmarks on shore edge past the boat at a quicker pace. He smiled and eased the throttle back down to where it began. He turned and smiled at Jon.

Jon nodded, "Once we get out into open water, I'll let you open her up. The main thing to know, when turning, is to make easy movements on the wheel. Especially at high speeds."

Zack nodded. Pointing at two instrument screens, he said, "What are those?"

Jon said, "One is surface radar," he pointed to one of the screens, "what's on the surface, boats, that kind of stuff." He moved his hand to another screen. "This one is sonar, what's beneath us. Gotta keep an eye on that one to make sure we don't run aground." Zack nodded. Jon noted that his mannerisms were much more relaxed now. Zack's smile reminded him of a child's, learning a new skill or opening a gift.

"You're driving the boat, little buddy!" Jack laughed.

"When you call me _'little buddy,'_ are you saying I'm Gilligan?" Zack said. The men laughed. "Because actually, since I have a PhD, I think I would more properly be The Professor."

"He's got you there, Hodgins," Seeley laughed.

"So what are you saying?" Jack said. "That I'm Gilligan?" More laughter. Jack pointed at Seeley, "I say you're Gilligan."

Seeley stopped laughing, "Now wait a minute, as the biggest guy here, I'd have to say I'm the Skipper. That would make you," pointing at Jack, "the Millionaire."

"Really?" Jack said.

Zach agreed, "That would make sense. Since you own the Cantilever group, you would be Thurston Howell III, and Angela would be Luvvy."

Jack nodded, "Yeah…I like that." He turned to Jon, "I guess that makes you Gilligan."

Seeley reached out and grabbed Jon around the shoulders, "Little Buddy..."

Jon shook his head, "Oh no….my boat…I'm the Skipper."

"He's got you there, "Jack laughed at Seeley.

A look of horror spread across Seeley's face. "I can't be Gilligan…But if I'm not, that means…"

"You're either Maryann or Ginger," Zack added helpfully.

Fingers pointed at Seeley from all around, with everyone saying, "Ahhhhh…"

Temperance looked up at the bridge and saw the men laughing and pointing fingers at Seeley. He was the butt of some kind of joke she figured. It was a nice picture. "What are those guys doing?" she said. The rest of the women looked to see them.

"Probably something stupid," Naomi said. When the other three women looked at her, she continued, "They're guys, standing around, drinking. Don't you know how their minds work?" She got blank stares. Naomi yelled up, "What are you guys doing up there?"

The men quieted. Zack shouted back, "We're trying to determine who among the group would be Gilligan."

The women looked at each other. "And what did you come up with?" Angela asked.

Jack said, "Well, since it's his boat, Jon is the Skipper. Since Zack has a doctorate, he's the Professor…"

"Wait a minute! Why aren't I the Professor?" Temperance yelled up.

Zack yelled down, "The Professor was a male."

"That's sexist! I say I'm the Professor" she looked around at the other women for support.

Jack continued, "Since I own the Cantilever group, I'm the Millionaire and Angela…"

"Is his wife," Angela sang.

"So who did you figure out is Gilligan?" Cricket yelled up.

Three fingers pointed at Seeley, who raised his eyes to the darkening sky. The four women started giggling. "So, who are the rest of us?" Temperance yelled.

Seeley shook his head and said, "We haven't gotten that far." The men turned back to their discussion.

"Well, if I can't be the Professor…" Temperance started.

"What are you doing?" Angela asked. "They've pulled us into their madness."

"Like I said," Naomi commented, "Something stupid."

Cricket held her wine cooler out, "Yeah," she said. "But we love them anyway."

"Here…Here," as the women acknowledged the toast.

* * *

Jon looked around at the blackness of the water. "There," he said. "We're far enough out; the light pollution won't affect us." He reached down and turned off the electric lantern.

Looking up, everybody's breath caught in their throat at the dazzling display of stars shining brightly in the night sky.

After a few moments of drinking in the spectacle, Jon pointed to an area of the sky, "There's Polaris."

"Where?" Naomi asked enthusiastically. She leaned back into Zack's chest and pulled his arms around her.

"Okay," Jon said, directing everyone's attention, "See the Big Dipper?" he waited for his class's acknowledgement. "See the two stars that make up the left-hand side of the cup portion?" Again, he waited for everyone to catch up. "If you go in a straight line up, the next brightest star is Polaris, the North Star. If you can find that, you know which way is which, north, south, east or west."

"There," Seeley said, pointing at the sky. "There's the Milky Way." Temperance followed his gaze, seeing a band of light arcing across the night sky. Billions of stars lined up as though in a row.

Zack said, "Carl Sagan called it 'The Backbone of Night'." Seeley remembered that Zack had come from a rural community. He would have an understanding of the night sky.

"I always thought we were in a spiral galaxy," Angela said. "Why doesn't it look like that?"

"Our sun sits on the galactic plane, so we can only see it edge on," Seeley said. He looked at the others seeing a number of blank stares. He held his hand up so they could see his palm. "It's a matter of perspective. If we were above, and looking down on it, it would look like a spiral," he made a circular motion with his other hand. "But because we're on the same plane as the galaxy, we can only see it edge on." He brought his hand down so they could only see the side of his hand. Temperance smiled; she loved to watch him teach others something of his interests. She was doubly impressed that he put it in terms the artist could more readily accept.

Nods of understanding and murmurs of "Ahh" and "I get it now."

"Sometimes, looking at all those stars…in the vastness of space, makes me feel so small. Insignificant," Angela said.

"Really?" Seeley asked, looking at her. He raised his head to the heavens, "It's just the opposite for me. It doesn't matter whether you think it was God, working on a master plan, or it was just random chemical reactions that accidentally bumped into one another, creating everything in the Universe," he smiled almost beatifically, "But for me, looking at all those stars…knowing that there are billions of galaxies in just the known, visible universe. Knowing that many more may be hidden. Some of those galaxies are small, holding only about ten million stars." He said sarcastically, "If ten million of anything can be considered small." He continued, "Some of them are huge, holding as many as a trillion. How many of those stars have planets circling them like ours? How many of those planets contain life? In all that…in all that space, there is only one of me." He looked back at everybody. "In all the Universe, there is only one me." His eyes searched and found Temperance's, "There's only one Temperance…" She moved into his arms, her back leaning into his chest, watching the stars as he spoke. His eyes found each one of his compatriots in turn, "Only one Angela…Cricket…Naomi…Jon…Jack…or Zack. Doesn't that make you feel special? We are all…unique," he laughed. "Just like everybody else."

"Sagan said in Cosmos that we are all made up of star stuff," Zack said. "That the same atoms found in stars and throughout the universe are the same atoms that make up our bodies and everything around us. That makes us all a part of the universe."

Naomi agreed, "I used to watch this science fiction TV show. It was called Babylon 5. Set on a space station hundreds of years in the future. One of the characters was an alien who was also a high-ranking person in their religion. She said kind of the same thing." She paused a moment. "The character said that we were all made of star stuff. That we were the universe made manifest. Trying to figure itself out."

She continued, "I think it was kind of a metaphor. That we are part of the universe and it is part of us. That we are all connected. What affects one, affects us all."

Temperance nodded, she thought, _'How do I keep surrounding myself with philosophers?'_

* * *

**A/N:** To see a photo of what they are seeing from the boat at night, go to my Discussion page and in the "General" category in the topic "Miscellaneous Stuff Photo Links, etc." is a link address.


	53. King of Calliope

**A/N:** If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. Amazingly, it's titled, "The Long Road Home Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, go to Forums / TV / Bones. It should be somewhere in the listing.

* * *

"So where _are_ we?" Temperance asked. "And where are we going?" She and Cricket had moved up into the shade of the bridge.

Jon looked at his GPS indicator, "We're crossing into North Carolina waters now. We're actually going back towards the mainland." He turned to them, "I thought you guys might like to see some dolphins. There are a couple of spots where they supposedly congregate around here."

"Really?" Temperance asked. "Why do they congregate in these areas?"

Jon shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe the feeding is good in the area. I know there are some tour businesses that take people out dolphin watching. Maybe they feed them. Even though it's illegal to do so."

Temperance smiled, "That sounds like fun. I'd like to see some."

Cricket said, "Have you ever been swimming with the dolphins?"

Temperance shook her head, "No, I've always wanted to, but I was never around people who had the same interest in them as I do."

Jon said, "When you and Seeley come down sometime, we'll try and get something set up."

"I can see why you like this kind of life, Jon," Temperance said. "I don't think I've ever seen Seeley as relaxed as I've seen him on this boat. Both the last time and now."

Cricket said, smiling "And what does it do for you?"

"I've always taken vacations to other work sites. Identifying bodies in other countries, identifying remains during Katrina, doing research, those kinds of things. I have to admit, this is an extremely enjoyable way to live." She added, "At least for a couple of days, anyway."

"Afraid you would get bored?" Jon asked.

"Not necessarily bored…I think unproductive is a better word." She continued, "But I'm learning that small doses of aimlessness can be restful and restorative."

"Anybody I know been helping with that?" Jon asked with a smile.

Temperance glanced down at Seeley relaxing and talking with the others on the aft deck; she smiled, "I know I've changed in the past couple of months. Things I always thought were insubstantial and inconsequential seem to have taken on more meaning for me. Seeley's been a big part of that." Jon smiled and checked the GPS. "In the three-plus years since I've known him, we've gone from tentative acquaintances to colleagues to partners to friends to lovers." Jon turned back to her. "Sometimes it scares me. How far I've come in such a short time."

"Such a short time?" Cricket asked incredulously. "You're kidding, right?" Temperance looked at her uncomprehendingly. "Three years is an eternity in the relationship world. At least it seems that way. I see people all around me jumping in the sack within a couple of hours of meeting."

"But those people are just satisfying their biological urges," Temperance said.

"True," Cricket said. "But quite a few of them mistake that lust for Love and try to make those relationships into something they're not." She nodded her head, "Believe me, I think you and Seeley have done it right."

"How so?"

"You met basically as co-workers. You had a job to do and were thrust together to get it done. Your working together as partners allowed you the time to build trust and respect in each other. That trust lit the spark of friendship, which then blazed into an inferno of Love." Cricket looked at her solemnly, "You've got a firmer base than probably 75 percent of the couples that are out there today." She paused a moment, "I see the same thing with Jack and Angela; starting out as co-workers and building from there. I don't see any reason why, with the stoking and tending we talked about before, you four shouldn't be able to make it."

Temperance smiled, "What about you and Jon? You've only known each other, what? About two and a half months?"

Jon and Cricket looked at each other, smiling. "We got lucky. We're Soul Mates who were lucky enough to find each other." Jon and Cricket leaned into each other and kissed.

"But you said you didn't believe in Soul Mates," Temperance said.

Cricket shrugged her shoulders and smiled, "Hey…you telling me you can change your mind and I can't?" She looked at Jon, "Just because we're Soul Mates doesn't mean it's going to be any easier. We still have to talk and argue and work at it. We know we're never going to stop trying to make each other's day the best day of our lives."

Jon said, "That's something we're never going to do…take each other for granted." He reached out for her. Cricket placed her hand in his. "Love doesn't come around nearly often enough. We plan on cherishing each other every day for as long as we can."

* * *

The dolphin watching turned out to be well worth the effort to travel to and from the area. Once in place, it only took about a half hour before they spotted the first of the dolphins. Temperance, Cricket and Naomi sat on the swim platform, their legs dangling in the water. The dolphins' curiosity soon had them swimming alongside bumping and rubbing against their legs. Jon suggested that the women not be the initiators of the contact, but rather, let the dolphins' curiosity bring them closer. After awhile, Naomi offered her seat to Angela, who readily agreed. Occasionally, the women would place their hands in the water and the dolphins would move up and rub against them. Seeley and the other men were taking photographs with the many disposable cameras brought on board. Temperance was leaning forward to get a better look at the dolphins in the clear waters when one of them, poking its head above the water line, startled her. It looked as though the two were staring intently into each other's eyes. Seeley hoped he had snapped the photo before Temperance had jerked herself back in surprise, laughing.

"Are you going to get in the water with them?" Zack asked.

The women looked at each other uncertainly. Jon said, "I'm not sure that's a good idea. After all, they are wild animals. And nobody here is really trained in dealing with them in the wild."

"Yes," Temperance agreed, disappointedly. She looked up at Seeley, her eyes luminous, "I'd like to go on an excursion to swim with them when we go down to Florida." To Seeley, it almost seemed as though she were asking for his consent.

"Of course," he said, smiling. "Whatever you like." And then, "I just might join you." Her smile grew broader.

* * *

The Calliope had dropped anchor. True to his word, Jon had let Zack "open her up" while they were in open waters. Temperance, Seeley, Jack and Angela enjoyed seeing Zack's face light up as he steered the boat over the waters. Gone was the dour, blank, logical expression. This Zack smiled readily with a glint of true wonder and happiness in his eyes. Looking at Zack, standing with one hand on the wheel, and the other wrapped around Naomi's waist, they couldn't see the serious scientist they had all come to know. This was Zack, the young man. Enjoying every bit of the rush of this new experience. Even when Jon had him slow down and finally stop, the look of joy never left his face and eyes.

The sun was beginning its downward arc in the west. Oldies music was playing through the ship's sound system. This was Jon and Cricket's music choice. It was quite a bit different from Naomi's choices they had just finished listening to. The group had settled on two-hour blocks for each person's particular music taste. Although to be honest, Jon and Cricket had eclectic tastes all the way from Oldies through some newer Alternative and Indie music. Most of it was fairly soft and light, so there wasn't a major mutiny growing for someone else's music while theirs was on. Right now, Sawyer Brown's version of "This Night Won't Last Forever," thrummed from the speakers.

Seeley was sitting in one of the deck chairs, eyes closed. It almost looked like he was asleep. "Seeley," Temperance said.

Without opening his eyes he answered her, "Yes Temperance?" he smiled. The sound of her name on his lips always did that to him.

"Feel like going for a swim?"

"Yeah," he said. "How about in a half hour?"

"Okay," Temperance said. She smiled. Later, Angela, who had been watching her, said it was an evil smile. Temperance went over and checked the coolers. The one with the wine coolers needed more ice and drinks. She bent down and started removing the bottles. "Jon?"

Jon looked down from the bridge. Seeley looked like he was dead to the world in the chair. Angela and Jack were talking, curled up in one of the other chairs. Temperance was pulling wine coolers out one of the coolers. Zack and Naomi were playing cards on the deck and Cricket was nowhere to be seen. _'Probably in the galley,'_ he thought. "Yes, Temperance?"

"Do we have any more ice? This cooler's is almost completely melted." Temperance said.

"We've got tons of ice down in the freezer. When Cricket got that much I thought she had lost her mind. Then when you guys showed up, I understood why." Jon said. "Why don't you have Seeley grab a couple of bags?"

"Thanks," Temperance nodded her head. "Hey Seeley? Remember that first weekend you got out of the hospital?" Jon watched as she picked up the cooler to dump it over the side. "The first time we came out on the boat?"

Seeley, eyes still closed, smiled, "Yeah, those were a couple of great days."

Temperance laughed, "Remember that Sunday, when I had to put that plastic thing on your chest and shoulder so you could take a shower?" Jon watched her edge closer to Seeley.

Seeley laughed, "Yeah…and I sprayed you with water and got you all wet."

"Seeley?"

Something in the tone of her voice made him open his eyes. He looked at her, just as the water leaped out of the cooler at him. He heard Jon laughing and raised his hands to ward off the deluge, to no avail. The icy water drenched him. The shock of the cold water stole his breath. He leapt to his feet. Eyes wide, he looked around. Hodgins and Angela's eyes filled with mirth even as their mouths opened with shocked "Ohhhs." Zack and Naomi scrambled out of the way. Cricket appeared at the threshold into the cabin, laughter beginning to tinge her mouth. He looked at Temperance. She looked at him triumphantly. He started to move towards her. Her expression turned to one of amusement. She tossed the empty cooler towards him and ran to the side of the boat. Seeley batted the plastic cooler away, the hollow sound of it bouncing on the deck lost in the laughter. Using one of the coolers as a step to the gunwale, squealing, she propelled herself over the side, into the air, turning her body back to face the boat. Like a cartoon, she hung there a moment in midair as her momentum died. Temperance pressed her fingers to nose, pinching her nostrils shut and dropped towards the ocean. Seeley launched himself over the side towards her, but he missed as he mistimed his leap and arced just over her as she slid into the water. He didn't make nearly the same smooth entrance as she. His momentum expended, he dropped prone into the water with a loud _'Smack!'_ Howls of laughter ensued from the Calliope's occupants.

Temperance and Seeley broke the surface at the same time. They looked at each other. Temperance said, treading water, pointing her finger at him, "I told you I would get you back."

"That's not fair," Seeley said. "You didn't give me a chance to retaliate."

"Like you gave me a chance?" she splashed water at him.

Seeley thought for a moment, "You're right…even?" He swam closer to her.

She wrapped her arms around him, "Even," she said and kissed him. They dropped below the surface.

Angela and Naomi had taken positions standing on the gunwale to get a better look. They didn't see Jack and Zack standing behind them. They also didn't see the look pass between the two friends. It had never occurred to them to watch their backs until they felt the pressure of hands on their buttocks pushing them over the side of the boat. The only response they could muster was a weak squeal from Naomi. Angela at least had the wherewithal to shout, "Jack! You ass…" before the water silenced the insult. Looking over the side, to make sure the girls were all right, Zack and Jack saw them, limp-haired treading water easily. Temperance and Seeley had come to the surface and began luxuriating in the cool waters.

Jack raised his arms, "Ah ha…King of the boat." Zack looked at him strangely. By now, Jon had made it down from the bridge and was standing on the aft deck looking at the two men. Jack guessed at what was going through his friend's mind, and started backing away. It was at that point that Jack realized just how big and powerful Zack actually was, relative to himself. Zack picked him up, looking like he was landing a marlin and unceremoniously dropped him over the side. Jack popped up almost immediately.

Treading water next to Angela, she reached out and stroked his wet beard, "Sweetie, see what happens when you think you've got everything under control?" she said. He kissed her hand.

Everyone's attention was brought back to the boat by Zack, surveying the five people in the water. He raised his hands over his head. "Now who's King of Boat?" he asked. If he expected someone to answer, it never came as all of his visual points of reference seemed to be getting lower. From the perspectives of the people in the water, it looked like he was levitating. He looked down towards his feet and realized they were no longer on the deck. He saw, and then felt two arms wrapped around his lower legs and felt pressure in the backs of his thighs. Looking around he saw that Jon had raised him straight up in the air, with his shoulder serving as a brace for the back of his knees. He was at Jon's mercy, unable to move his legs. He heard the laughter from the group as Jon edged towards the side of the boat. Realizing he was lost, he waited for the short drop to the water's surface. It came soon enough.

Six people were now treading water. Jon stood on top of one of the coolers. Surely, he had nothing to fear from Cricket. They were a team. They were partners for life. They were Soul Mates. He stood there, his hands on his hips like some warped miniature superhero. Or maybe a super-villain. He laughed, deeply. Standing on the gunwale, he stretched out his arm and began, "Puny mortals. You are no match for…" At that moment, he heard footsteps behind him. _'Jeezus...She's gotten a running start!'_ he thought. He felt her hands press into his buttocks. He might have been able to ward off her attack; but his precarious stance on the gunwale offered his feet no purchase. He tumbled into the ocean.

He popped up to exclamations of, "Puny mortal!" and "I got a match for you…" Cricket stood on the deck alone, arms outstretched, in a Marilyn Monroe pose. He nodded, "I guess we all know who's in charge in this family," he laughed. To Cricket he said, "Are you coming in?"

"Maybe later," she shouted. "Right now I'm going to bask in my role as Queen of Calliope." She placed the back of her hand to her forehead and fanned herself with her other.

"Okay…Okay," he said and swam to the ladder. "Just need to keep an eye on these guys so nobody gets lost."

He started to climb the rungs. When he got to the top rung, his left arm seemed to give out. He dropped down, flexing his fingers. Holding onto the ladder by sliding his right arm through the rungs, he began massaging the tissue below his left elbow. Seeley shouted over, "You okay?"

Jon shouted, "I don't know," flexing his hand again. "It just seemed to give out." He started up the ladder again. Cricket extended her hand to help him up.

Temperance, treading water next to Seeley heard him snicker softly. She turned to him. Seeing his face, she said, "That's just mean," but she was smiling just as broadly as he was and turned back to watch the spectacle.

Jon grasped Cricket's wrist and forearm. She knew when Jon was in this playful a mood he wasn't to be trusted. She knew it was an old trick. She knew she had made a mistake as soon as his hand grabbed hold. She knew this was not going to end well for her.

To the onlookers, it was amazing how far she flew. Seeley said she must have jumped when Jon had pulled. But she always swore that she didn't. What was truly amazing to Temperance, though, was she had done a half-flip and entered the water on her back. It seemed truly comical to see Cricket's arms and legs sticking straight up and then lowering into the water. She popped up and turned back to the boat. Spotting Jon she yelled, "You jackass!"

Jon leaned back into the water, "You know you love it, Baby!"

* * *

"Okay…my turn," Naomi said, "What is your most irrational fear?"

Seeley groaned. But he had said he would play. Temperance rubbed his leg in encouragement. He looked around at the rest of the group seated around the electric lantern. This game was kind of a cross between Group Therapy and Truth or Dare. One person posits a question and everybody answers it, in turn.

Jack started, "Well, before the Gravedigger, it was heights. But now it's being buried alive." Angela stroked his hair and edged her head in to rest against his.

Temperance said, "I didn't think I had any, but that time I saw all those snakes, uncontrolled and moving all around," she shivered. Seeley wrapped his arms around her and squeezed gently.

Angela said, "Hypnotists," There was some laughter. "I don't know why, I just don't trust them."

Cricket said, "Spiders," Others shivered, "It doesn't matter the size, I see a spider and my back muscles just start crawling."

Jon said, "Heights…can't stand them. And I've jumped out of airplanes!"

Zack said, "I don't know if this is fear, but when I'm walking on the sidewalk, I never step on a crack."

"Yeah…yeah…" Seeley said, laughing. "Step on a crack, break your mother's back." Zack nodded and joined in on the laughter.

Naomi said, "I can't stand bugs. Creepy, crawly things," she shivered and shook her head.

Seeley took a deep breath, _'Here goes,'_ he thought. "Clowns," he said. Everybody stopped talking and looked at him. "I'm afraid of clowns."

"Really?" Jack said, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. Seeley looked at him. Jack forced the smile from his face.

Cricket said, "Does it matter if the clowns are smiling or frowning?"

Seeley shook his head, "I don't know why. Maybe something in my childhood..." He shrugged and then started to laugh. Everybody else joined in.

"Okay," Jack said, "My turn…Where is home for you? Where do you come from?"

Zack said, "That's easy for me…Michigan. That's where my family is."

Temperance said, "Ohio."

Naomi said, "New York."

Cricket said, "Connecticut."

Angela said, "Well, if you recognized my Dad, you'll know that I'm from Texas."

Seeley said, "I grew up in Philadelphia."

Jack said, "I'm from Maryland…home of money."

Jon said, "Well, most of my family is from Arizona," he looked to Cricket and held out his hand to her. "I've got a house and business in Florida, but…" Cricket placed her hand in his. "I've always thought that home is where you feel most loved. So, for right now, this is my home." He kissed her hand.

Comments like, "Awww" and "That's Sweet," emanated from the group.

Angela took a drink from her wine cooler, "Okay, I've got one. What is your favorite guilty pleasure Disney movie?" Approving laughter came from the group.

Seeley said, "Okay, got a question for you. Is a Pixar movie considered a Disney movie? I mean they were part of Disney, and then they were sold off," he looked towards Jack, "and weren't they re-acquired?"

"Why are you asking me?" Jack said.

"Well, don't you keep up on business stuff?"

"No," he said. "I'm rich, why should I?" Jack laughed.

"Okay," Seeley acquiesced. "Anyway, Pixar part of Disney?"

The group agreed to include Pixar as part of Disney.

Cricket said, "Bambi."

Angela agreed, "Oh…isn't it so sad when Bambi's mother dies?"

Naomi said, smiling, "I liked Enchanted."

Jack said, "What else? A Bug's Life." The group laughed.

Jon said, "I'd have to say it's a tie between National Treasure and National Treasure: The Book of Secrets." Seeley 'oohhed' in agreement.

Angela said, "Fantasia is mine."

Temperance said, smiling, "There's the artist in you." Angela nodded. "I think my favorite is The Hunchback of Notre Dame." In response to the surprised looks, "What? I like the story! Based on a book by Victor Hugo…" Seeley put his arms around her and drew her into his chest. He kissed her ear.

Zack said, "I liked Tron."

Jack said, "Imagine that."

All eyes turned to Seeley. Everybody knew he had a movie in mind; especially so when he asked about Pixar. Jack said, "Let me guess!" Seeley breathed a bit easier. Jack stood up, "I'll say, it's Toy Story! And you wanted to be Buzz Lightyear!" Jack did a passable impression, "To infinity, and beyond." The group laughed. Seeley felt better about it.

He stood up. In an exaggerated 'Hero' stance, hands on his hips, jaw jutting forward, he said in his best 'Hero' voice, "Wrong. My small friend. My favorite is The Incredibles." He smiled his best charm smile. Temperance could almost see a gleam of light reflecting off his teeth. She began laughing, and the group joined in. After the laughter died down, he sat back down.

Temperance poked him with her elbow, "You're not going to get fat and out of shape are you, Mr. Incredible?"

"You can count on it, Elastigirl!" He leaned forward and kissed her.

"Okay," Zack said. "Not to put a downer on things…What would be a good death for you?"

Angela said, "Not to put a downer on things?"

Jon said, "I think it's a valid question. Don't worry about it Zack. Death is a part of Life. A good death for me; I would be surrounded by all the people I love. We've said our goodbyes, and I just go to sleep."

Jack said, "I think that's kind of a surprise. Most people would think that FBI guys would want to go out in a blaze of glory. Saving people…"

Seeley said, "Not really, Jack." He continued, "Most of the people I know in the Bureau wish they never had to draw their weapon. Keeping people safe, yes. But we all wish we could do it before it gets to that point."

Jack nodded appreciatively. "I think Jon's got the definitive answer for this one." Everybody nodded, except for Seeley. One by one, they turned to look at him.

He started, "I guess I should explain," he smiled. "I agree that Jon's death would be a good one. But I go back to a song I heard back in the 80s. It's called _'Heaven only Knows'_, by Richard Marx. Wasn't a big hit or anything, but the lyrics just really pierced my heart and stayed there."

'_I like to think I'm a faithful man_

_To resist desire, and do all I can_

_I hope to die in the arms of the woman I Love'_

He looked at Temperance. She was astonished at his openness in front of all these people. His eyes locked firmly on Temperance's, his voice hoarse, he said, "I honestly can't think of a better way to go."


	54. Champagne and Strawberries

**A/N:** My apologies for so much time between updates. I've been busy preparing for a household move for the end of October (and working). And unfortunately, unlike Booth and Brennan, I don't have anybody to help me pick out a place, meet with movers, etc. I still have more story to tell, but it may take awhile to get it told.

**A/N:** If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. Amazingly, it's titled, "The Long Road Home Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, go to Forums / TV / Bones. It should be somewhere in the listing.

* * *

Temperance awoke.

For a moment, she wasn't sure exactly where she was. Looking around at the small, wood-paneled room, barely big enough for the queen-sized bed she lay in, she remembered, _'Jon's boat.'_ It wasn't the larger of the two staterooms, but the bed was comfortable. Looking at the empty bed, she felt a tinge of aloneness. She knew he hadn't gone far; but this feeling of incompleteness was new to her. She wondered, _'Is this what an addict feels like when he's beginning to feel the need for a fix?'_ The room was warm; she could still smell his musky scent lingering in the air. She stood, and quietly put her bathing suit on. She noted the tan lines beginning to set off the shape of suit on her skin. Temperance had gotten more sun these past couple of days than she had the previous two months. She slid the door open and the cool, morning, sea air immediately chilled her. Goosebumps erupted upon her skin. She shivered and pulled the blanket off the bed, wrapping herself in its folds like a cocoon. She stepped into the main cabin.

Temperance saw a blond tousle of Cricket's hair peeking out from under a multi-colored blanket on one of the deck chairs. Looking around, she didn't see any of the others. _'Now where __is__ everybody?'_ she thought as moved through the cabin to the open glass doors. As she approached the threshold, she could smell the coffee brewing from the coffeemaker sitting on the table on the aft deck. Evidently, Cricket had moved it out here so it would be within easy reach. Temperance heard splashing over to her right. She turned and saw Zack and Naomi playfully bobbing next to one another. _'Almost like a mating ritual,'_ she thought. They looked up and saw her standing on the deck, wrapped in a blanket.

Naomi smiled and waved, "Good morning, Doctor Brennan!" she called out. Zack turned and saw Temperance and shouted the greeting as well.

"Good morning," Temperance voiced back. "Isn't it too cold to be swimming this morning?"

Zack replied, "I thought so, as well, Doctor Brennan. But once you're actually in the water, it feels very nice."

"Are you going to join us?" Naomi said.

Temperance smiled and said, "Perhaps in a bit," she turned and saw Cricket poke her head, smilingly, fully out of the folds of the blanket. Temperance turned back to Naomi and Zack, "I think I'll get some coffee, first."

"Good morning, Temperance," Cricket said.

"Good morning, Cricket," Temperance returned. She motioned towards the coffee machine, "Is this just for you? Or can anybody grab a cup?"

"Be my guest," Cricket said. "The cups are clean. If you want sugar or milk, you'll have to get it from the galley."

Temperance shook her head as she reached for an empty cup. Balancing the blanket on her shoulders, her other hand grabbed for the coffeepot. "This will be fine." She waved the coffeepot in Cricket's direction. "Do you already have a cup, or…"

Cricket brought out a cup from beneath the folds of the blanket and offered it out to Temperance. Temperance smiled and refilled her cup. "Thank you," Cricket said as she brought the steaming cup closer to her.

"No problem," Temperance said. After pouring her own cup and placing the coffeepot back on the burner, Temperance raised her own cup. Looking around, she said, "Where are the others?"

"Jack and Angela are on the foredeck. The boys are doing laps around the boat." Cricket said.

"Laps around the boat?" Temperance said. Moving towards the starboard gunwale, she leaned out and saw the two men swimming side by side towards the rear of Calliope. She turned back to Cricket, "How long have they been at it?"

"About fifteen minutes…you'd think they would take a day off here and there," Cricket said.

"Well," Temperance said. "They probably feel like they didn't do enough swimming yesterday." Cricket nodded and took a sip of coffee. Temperance looked around. Towards the east, she could see pink-tinged clouds dusting the horizon. Scanning around, there were only blue skies and waters all around. "I didn't think it possible," she said. "But even with eight people on board, if someone wants privacy they can find it." She motioned at the other chair; wordlessly asking to join Cricket in her, for now, private area.

Cricket smiled, "Of course…please join me."

"Thanks," Temperance smiled as she joined her newest friend. They sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the splashing water from the four in the water and the soft pop play list from the sound system.

After a few moments, Cricket asked, "How did you sleep?"

Temperance nodded her head, "Well, thank you. It seemed to get a bit warm…"

"I noticed that too, the first time I slept in there," Cricket agreed. "I thought it got a little stuffy as well. Like there's little air circulation."

"I agree." Temperance smiled. "Although it was a pretty nice night, so it wasn't a bother."

Cricket smiled and turned to look at Temperance, "Who knew those two could be so romantic?"

Temperance's smile grew broader at the memory, "It's certainly something I'll remember for the rest of my life."

* * *

Seeley, Jon, Cricket and Temperance were sitting on the aft deck in the moonlit darkness. The game had long been over and Naomi and Zack had gone to bed on the cots below deck. Angela and Jack cuddled up together in a double-sized sleeping bag on the fore deck. Light music played through the sound system. They could hear the waves lapping softly against Calliope's hull.

Temperance leaned back on the chaise, resting against Seeley's chest. Her head rested upon his left shoulder. She sat between his legs, his inner thighs caressing her outer legs. Not nearly often enough, he would move his legs up and stroke her lower legs with his feet, before placing his feet back on the deck. His arms encircled her waist, and occasionally his fingers and hands would stroke her sides. She looked over and saw Cricket and Jon in almost the same position. Cricket had taken one of Jon's hands and placed it upon her upper sternum, just below her throat. Her hands worked, stroking his fingers. Occasionally she moved them up so she could kiss them, before returning them to her "sweet spot" as she called it.

Conversation had been light, inconsequential, with nuggets of information that at times were surprising.

"The one thing I hated about traveling by air," Booth said. "Was getting off the plane and seeing all of these people waiting for their loved ones. And then that inevitable reunion scene with all of these people hugging and kissing and so happy to see one another."

"I know what you mean," Cricket said. "That would throw me into a depression for days. Even when it was a flight back home where I was living at the time."

"You hated to see families happy?" Temperance said incredulously.

"No…no…" Booth said, echoed by Cricket. "I guess it was kind of like being…" Booth searched for the word. "Almost jealous, but not really."

Cricket finished it, "More envious, I think." Temperance could feel Seeley nodding in agreement. "I didn't begrudge them their happiness. It just seemed kind of painful that somebody could have a welcoming reception like that…and I had nobody."

Seeley said, "There was no one to share my return with." He continued, "I mean, when you think about it, here you are…hurtling through the air at over 200 miles per hour at the height of over 30,000 feet in basically bits of metal and plastic and foam. Then, when you finally get to where you're going, there's no one to share in your great accomplishment. There's no one to rejoice in your safe return." Temperance understood now. She had been alone for so long, and she had been able to compartmentalize so many aspects of her life, she hadn't realized there were so many supposedly small feelings that make up the social animal called humans.

"It used to be worse," Jon said. "Before 9/11 and all the increased security measures, those reunions used to occur every time you stepped off the plane. Even if you were just changing planes to go somewhere else, there would always be a couple of people where that was their final destination. They would always have family waiting right there at the gate. Nowadays, those things happen outside of security. So if you're changing planes, you never see those until you get to the final destination."

Temperance could see Cricket nodding, "I used to almost run to get past them as fast as I could."

Seeley squeezed Temperance gently, "Didn't you go through these kinds of feelings? With all the traveling you do?"

Temperance shook her head, "Until recently, as you know, I've pretty much closed myself off from things like that. I always filled up my time thinking about work, or something else." She paused, "I'm glad I didn't have those depressing thoughts, but sometimes I wonder how much I've missed by being so focused on my work. It's almost like I've been living in a different world from the rest of the human race."

Cricket said, "You seem to have done pretty well, though. I mean, you know what those emotions are. You write about them very well in your books. It's not like they're completely foreign to you."

"You've read my books?" Temperance asked, surprised.

"Of course," Cricket laughed. "Don't you think your friends would care about something you're so proud of?"

"I never thought about it…" Temperance started.

Jon said, "It's what friends do. We share. We share in the joys and sadnesses. The triumphs and the tragedies. The laughter and the tears." He paused a moment, "Although I honestly think that if you're basing Andy on Seel here, you've been way off base." Temperance picked up the mocking tone immediately. "Seel being fluent in six languages? Maybe if you count curse words only." He laughed.

"Yeah…yeah…yeah," Seeley said. "In her next book will be a case of a man whose vocal cords are attached to his sphincter. He's constantly talking out of his butt." Cricket started giggling. "I hear she based the character on you."

"That's enough boys," Temperance said sternly. Although, she couldn't help but smile. They lay back, looking at the stars in comfortable silence.

After a few moments Cricket asked, "You guys picked out your song yet?"

Temperance asked, "Our song?" Her tone let everyone know that she had no idea what Cricket was talking about.

Cricket nodded her head, "Yeah, you know. A song that as soon as you hear it, reminds you of each other and the special times you have together?"

Temperance shook her head, raised up, turned and looked at Seeley. "Have we?" she asked.

Seeley said, "Well, I've got some ideas. But for it to be _'Our Song'_ would require both of us to hear it and know it."

"You've really thought about it?" she asked, astonished. Seeley looked uncomfortable in the moonlight. "So, what did you pick out?"

"I haven't picked anything out," he said. Temperance looked at him. "Honest," he said.

Temperance leaned back into his chest. "What about you two?" she asked. "Do you have a song yet?"

"Doesn't this sound like we're all in high school?" Jon asked.

"Of course," Cricket said. "Isn't that part of what being in Love is all about? Making you feel young again?"

"I suppose…" Jon started. Cricket sat up, still clutching Jon's hand, "Oww…yes…yes! I feel young again!" Temperance smiled, guessing that Cricket's hand was doing a lot more than just holding onto Jon's.

Cricket sat back, nestling into Jon's chest once again, "One of the songs playing during one of our big moments was, _'Love Is'_ by Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight…".

"Does a couple's song usually play during a _'big moment'_?" Temperance asked. She could see Cricket's head nod. "Well, our biggest moment so far had Maroon 5's _'Secret'_ playing in the background." She could feel Seeley move underneath her. "But that doesn't feel like it would be an _'Our Song'_ kind of song."

"Maybe you just haven't heard it yet," Seeley suggested. That was it for Temperance. She knew that Seeley had already picked out what he thought should be their song. She was just going to have to get it out of him one way or the other.

A couple minutes passed. Jon said, "Do you guys want to split a bottle or two of champagne?"

Cricket turned and looked at him, "Really?"

Seeley said, "You sure?"

"Yeah," Jon said. "I feel like celebrating."

"Anything in particular?" Temperance asked.

"Yeah…us." Jon said. "All of us…together." He extricated himself from Cricket and the chair. "Come on, Seel," he said motioning to Seeley. "I've got a job for you." Temperance looked from Cricket to Seeley as he joined Jon in the cabin. The cabin lights flooded the aft deck, momentarily blinding the two women.

"What's this all about?" Temperance asked Cricket.

She shook her head, smiling, "I don't know. I'm sure it will be pleasant, whatever it is."

The two women heard the music stop and then after a few more moments, start again. This time, a bit louder. _"Home"_ by Michael Buble' flowed from the speakers. They heard the clinking of glass, the dull chattering of unseen objects jostling together and of the sink water running. After a few moments, the cabin lights went out. Jon appeared at the threshold with a champagne bucket full of ice and two, presumably, champagne bottles. Seeley carried four champagne flutes and a large bowl. It didn't take long for the gentle breeze to telegraph what it contained. The sweet odor of fresh, capped strawberries tickled their noses. Jon unwrapped the foil and cage from the top of the bottle. He grasped the cork with one hand and expertly twisted the bottle with his other. The cork separated from the bottle easily with a soft _'whoof,'_ not spilling a drop.

"Now that's the way to open a champagne bottle," Cricket said.

He looked at her, "It's not my first time," he said. "Yeah," Jon said as he poured the champagne into the flutes. "Those guys that just let the cork fly and the champagne fizz out aren't really serious about enjoying the experience." After two of the glasses were filled, Seeley took them and handed them to Temperance and Cricket. By the time he turned back, Jon had completed the initial pouring of the other two flutes.

Cricket and Temperance stood next to the two men. "What should we drink to?" Temperance asked.

Jon raised his glass, "To Husbands and Wives…To Brothers and Sisters…To the Family we get to choose…To us."

"Here…here," Seeley said. The four clinked glasses together and then downed the contents. Seeley held the bowl of strawberries for everyone to partake. The taste of the juicy sweetmeats exploded in their mouths. "I've got one," Seeley said as Jon refilled the glasses. Seeley held a strawberry in his hand as he raised his glass to the others, "Security, Happiness and Love. Everybody strives for them. Very few actually attain all of them. Here's hoping you have all the Security you need, all the Happiness you can find, and…" he looked directly into Temperance's eyes, "All the Love you could hope for." He moved and entwined his arm with the glass with Temperance's, and she with his. They drank the sparkling wine, and, when finished, Seeley put the strawberry between his teeth and leaned in to her. She bit the berry in half and pressed her lips firmly against his. The sweet nectar seemed lost in the taste of their kiss.

Temperance wasn't sure if it was the champagne or the gentle rocking of the boat, but her legs felt a bit unsteady. Seeley's strong arms kept her upright, though. She imagined it would always be thus. When they broke their kiss, they stood there a moment in the cool ocean breeze, underneath a panoply of stars. She looked over and saw Jon and Cricket locked in their own embrace. The last strains of the song sounded over the speakers,

'…_It'll all be all right_

_I'll be home tonight_

_I'm coming back home'_

She heard the tinkling of piano keys coming from the speakers. She felt Seeley tense up, ever so slightly. He took her glass and set them both down on the table. He said, "You know with the exception of that one bar in Washington State and that one night in my apartment, we've never danced close."

She nodded, "Are you asking me to dance? Here? Now?"

He reached out his hand searching for hers. "Would you do me honor?"

She smiled, "It would be my pleasure," she said moving into his arms.

He held her hand in his, clutching it close to his chest. His other hand rested in the small of her back. A familiar feeling, that seemed all the more intimate with their closeness. She heard the singer begin,

'_Have I told you lately that I love you?_

_Have I told you there's no one above you?_

_Fill my heart with gladness._

_Take away my sadness._

_Ease my troubles, that's what you do…'_

She smiled, "Van Morrison…" she murmured.

"Shh…" Seeley said. "Listen to the words."

'_Oh, the morning sun in all its glory._

_Greets the day with hope and comfort too._

_And you fill my life with laughter._

_You can make it better._

_Ease my troubles, that's what you do…'_

There, in his arms. Under the stars. She knew. They had _"Their" _song.


	55. Back to Shore

**A/N:** I know it has been awhile since my last update. I'm still in the throes of the household move. The movers will be at the house on the 30th and hopefully I'll be back up and ready to go that weekend. Here's a short, transitional piece of fluff to get them back on shore.

**A/N:** If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. Amazingly, it's titled, "The Long Road Home Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, go to Forums / TV / Bones. It should be somewhere in the listing.

* * *

Seeley and Jon stood on the swimming platform attached to the aft of the Calliope. Even Jon, at his short stature, could see Temperance and Cricket lying back in the two chaises, The sun had warmed the air considerably and the two women had kicked off the blankets they had cocooned themselves in just a few moments ago; taking advantage of the sun's warming rays. Seeley, smiling, quickly ran his fingers back and forth through his short hair, sending droplets of water flying off and landing on Temperance's skin. His smile broadened as he could see each drop raising goose bumps on her skin.

"Hey," Temperance admonished. "Be careful where you spray!" as she wiped the moisture away.

"Oh," Seeley said with a wink towards Jon, "Sorry…I didn't realize you were there."

Jon smiled and angled his head towards the women. Seeley nodded in response. The two men dropped their towels and began spiritedly rubbing their hair with their hands. Droplets danced everywhere; Cricket and Temperance shrieked and bolted out of their chairs. Once empty, Seeley and Jon jumped over the railing and, narrowly missing the coffeepot, landed in the newly vacated lounges.

Temperance and Cricket looked at each other a moment, and then turned back to the two men disgustedly. "What a couple of idiots," Temperance chided over the two men's laughter.

"More like clowns, I'd say," Cricket agreed. Looking directly at Jon, she pointed to the coffeepot, "Do you know how close you guys came to burning yourselves?"

"Well, what's it doing out on deck?" Jon rejoined.

"So that it's more convenient than getting up and constantly going back and forth into the galley," Cricket said. Seeing Jon's indulgent expression, she continued, "I'm serious! You two could have scalded yourselves pretty badly!"

"Awww, mom!" Seeley said, "We didn't mean any harm." He looked to Temperance smilingly.

At Cricket's expression of horror Temperance said, "What's this calling her _'Mom'_ business?"

Seeley's smile evaporated. "Well," he started. "If we're calling Jon '_Dad_,' then doesn't it follow she would be _'Mom'_?"

Temperance looked at him skeptically and icily said, "Since when has he ever allowed you to call him _'Dad?'_"

Seeley knew he was lost. He turned to Cricket, "I apologize for calling you _'Mom.'_" Temperance cleared her throat. He continued, "And I promise never to do it again."

Now that the women had shown them who, exactly, was in charge, seemingly mollified, Cricket said to Jon, "Do you want some coffee?"

Jon nodded his head, "Please."

Cricket said, "I'll bring out a clean cup," and turned to enter the stateroom. She called back, "Do you want one too, Seel?"

Seeley shook his head, "No thanks." He looked at Temperance, "Is there any orange juice left in the cooler?"

Temperance's jaw dropped. She rolled her eyes, "I'll check," she said simply. She turned and started rummaging through the ice and drinks in one of the coolers. Neither Cricket nor Temperance saw Jon and Seeley wink at each other.

After a few moments Temperance said, "Ah-ha…found you." She stood up allowing the lid to slam closed. She walked over to stand at Seeley's feet and held the plastic bottle of juice before him. He reached out to take it, but she moved it back out of his reach. Seeley dropped his arm and scooted towards the end of the chaise. Temperance angled the bottle behind her back. Seeley smiled and leaned towards her. She returned his smile and leaned in towards him, bringing the bottle back towards his hand and kissing him softly on his lips. At the moment he took the bottle and Temperance slid her arms around his back, Cricket appeared at the threshold holding the coffee cup. When Temperance slipped the handful of ice she had hidden from Seeley into the back of his shorts, Cricket flung the ice-water contents of the cup at Jon.

Both men jumped up with a roar. Goosebumps dotted Jon's skin as he sucked in air and Seeley did what looked like a jig trying to get the ice to drop down out of his shorts. Cricket held out the empty cup to Jon and said, smiling sweetly, "Here you go, baby." Jon took the coffee cup dumbly and watched as she slid back onto the lounge. Still sucking in air heavily, he turned to see Temperance leaning back against the railing, smiling as she watched Seeley hop up and down trying to dislodge the ice. Finally, a couple of hollow-sounding, high-pitched _'Clunks'_ told everyone Seeley's torture was done as the ice cubes dropped to the wooden deck.

Cricket made room on the chaise as Jon eased himself down to sit beside and facing her. He leaned in and kissed her.

Seeley leaned down and picked up the shards of the rapidly melting ice and moved over to Temperance. He moved in close to her and encircled her back with one arm. His other hand, the one holding the remnants of the ice, he ran along the top of Temperance's swimsuit bottom. He placed his index finger between the suit elastic and her skin and moved it along her abdomen. He could hear her breath catch in her throat. Then she said, almost mockingly, "Are you sure _that's_ where you want to put something cold?"

She looked in his eyes; seeing him doing the risk vs. reward calculations. He sighed and tossed the ice into the sea. He leaned in and kissed her, placing his cold hand on her abdomen. He could feel her muscles involuntarily contract as she smiled and sucked in air. _'This will do,'_ he thought.

* * *

"We should start heading back in a little bit," Jon said.

"So soon?" Angela said. "I could get used to a life of leisure."

Jack squeezed her gently. "I could too," he said. "Although, I don't think I could handle living on a boat." He looked at everyone else. "I just need to have my land legs under me."

Cricket said, "I think we'd all get bored if we didn't have something to do." She continued, "I mean, it's nice to do this every once in awhile, but there's lots of other things we need to do in order, for me anyway, to feel fulfilled."

"Agreed," Naomi said. "I enjoy my work…and I honestly can't think of a life without it. It kind of makes me feel like I'm doing more than just taking up space."

The group nodded and murmured in agreement. "You in a rush to get back, Jon?" Seeley said.

Jon shook his head. He pointed to the pink-tinged clouds off to the east, "There's a front coming in. We don't want to be caught out here when it arrives." He smiled, "It's fun being out on the boat during good weather. It can be pretty frightening in bad."

"Did you get a weather report or something?" Temperance asked. "How do you know a front's coming in?"

Jon pointed, "Red sky at morning." He looked at the blank stares. "You guys have never heard that saying?" Head shakes. He shook his head in return and chuckled, "Red sky at morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailors' delight."

"Isn't that some type of cliché?" Zack asked.

Jon nodded, "Yeah…but that's how clichés come about. There's usually a nugget of truth in them."

"So how soon before we have to start back?" Temperance asked.

"About an hour," Jon saw the disappointed looks on the group's faces. He realized just what a great escape from the real world this weekend had been. Not just for him, but for all of his newfound friends as well.

* * *

The Calliope edged its way into the bay towards the Potomac. Jon sat, steering the vessel from his chair in the bridge. The weather had gotten much cooler. The sky had turned grey and damp. He figured they would beat the rain inland by about an hour. As the weather had cooled, the group had changed into their long pants and shirts. Seeley was inside changing now. Jon looked at the group, all of them seemingly enraptured by their various cell phones and Blackberrys. "You guys doing anything tomorrow night?" Everyone looked at him. Some, most noticeably Naomi and Zack, with blank stares. "Yes, I mean you two as well," Jon said amazed. Murmurs of open schedules wafted back to him. "Would you like to help me with something around 9:00 tomorrow night? I need to set something up for Seel's rehab and I could use your help."

Zack was the first to volunteer, "I can help. Will it entail going out on the boat again?"

Jon smiled, "No, it'll be at the warehouse." He looked at Naomi's uncertain look, "I could use your help as well."

She nodded, "Sure. Being around you all has been an experience. I can't wait," she smiled.

"Count us in," Jack said after trading looks with Angela.

"You know we'll be there," Cricket said.

"Good," Jon nodded. "We'll see you all there at about 9. Don't tell Seel." Acknowledgements filtered up to him.

After a few more moments, Seeley appeared on deck. He looked around at the silent group. "It's always like this," he said. The group looked at him. "Whenever you're on the way home from a trip, there's a lot less conversation going on." Everybody nodded in acknowledgement. "It's like everyone's depressed."

Jon said from the bridge, "I don't think it's depressed so much as everybody's getting their heads back into the real world. My guys down in Florida see the same thing at the end of their outings."

Angela said, "What's the name of your charter company?"

"Odyssey Charters," Jon said.

"Really?" Angela said. "I'm sure you know the story of _'The Odyssey'_?"

"Of course," Jon smiled. "It's the story of Odysseus' journey home to Ithaca following the fall of Troy."

"Your boats are named after muses," Temperance said, smiling. "Your company is named after an epic, heroic story. I guess you're just a Renaissance Man."

"As is Seel, I might add," Jon said as he turned his attention back to his task.

Temperance smiled at Seeley, and then gave him a wink before turning back to her Blackberry. After a moment, she said, "Seeley?" Once she knew she had his attention she asked, "What are you doing Wednesday, during the day?"

Seeley thought a moment; shaking his head, he said, "Outside of doing some rehab work, not much. Why?"

She flashed him a smile and turned her Blackberry so he would have been able to see the screen if he was closer, "We got the condo! They want to close on it Wednesday afternoon." Seeley smiled and moved over and took her in his arms. Amongst cheers of congratulations, he kissed her.

"Uh Oh," Cricket said. When everyone was quiet she continued, "I hate to rain on anybody's parade, but according to Jon's e-mail, a Caroline Julian, I guess the new prosecutor on the case wants to have a meeting with us on Monday at 10:00 AM."

Temperance said, "I don't think we should worry too much about it. Caroline is a very good prosecutor." Looking from Cricket to Jon, and nodding, "She's very professional. We've worked with her before."

Seeley gave Jon a reassuring nod, "I think we're in pretty good hands with the case. Don't worry." Temperance could see Jon visibly relax at Seeley's words of encouragement. She smiled as she saw the brotherhood that bound them.

* * *

Temperance stepped into the shower and let the warm water sprinkle down her body. The shower on the Calliope had nowhere near the warmth or pressure as her apartment's. She wondered absently how the water pressure would be in her and Seeley's condo. That was one of the things she hadn't actually tested out prior to placing the offer. She smiled at the thought of _'Our condo.'_

The rest of the trip back into the marina had gone uneventfully. Seeley had tied off the fore cleat and Hodgins had done the aft. Although, it looked somewhat comical to see Hodgins and Seeley try to get their land legs under them and still perform their assigned tasks. For a while, it looked as though they were drunk. It was funny, at least until she had tried it. It wasn't a frightening feeling; she just felt _'off'_ somehow. She wondered how long it would take until she felt _'normal'_ again.

She felt, more than saw Seeley enter the shower behind her. A brief coolness as the curtain parted, and then the warmth engulfing her again as he closed it behind him and held her close to his chest, wrapping his arms around her. She turned her head towards him; her lips met his. This time, her legs wobbled for different reasons. Too soon, the taste of his lips and tongue were gone as he said, "Feel good to be home?"

She smiled as he stood behind her, holding her close. She nodded her head, "Mmmmm…I don't think this will ever get old."


	56. Justice

**A/N:** If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. Amazingly, it's titled, "The Long Road Home Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, go to Forums / TV / Bones. It should be somewhere in the listing.

* * *

Jon exhaled loudly. He didn't mean for his sigh to echo around the walls of the elevator as loudly as it did. But there was no way to stuff it back into his mouth. Cricket, standing next to him, turned and slipped her hand into his. She leaned in and said, "Relax. It'll be over soon enough."

He squeezed her hand, reassuringly. "Sorry," he said. "I just want this to be done." He turned and looked into her green eyes. "Not just for me," he continued. "I want them to get some justice." He looked back at the brushed stainless steel doors. "They deserve it."

"And they will," Cricket reassured him. "Caroline is a very good prosecutor. She'll get the best possible result out of what we've got."

"What's she like?"

Cricket smiled. "She's kind of hard to describe. She's a no-nonsense kind of woman. Can be pretty brusque if she's angry..." Cricket thought a moment and then said, "…or if she thinks you're trying to put one over on her."

The elevator announced their arrival with a _'Ding'_ and the doors slid open. Cricket and Jon made their way towards the conference room. With each step, they could hear a woman's voice filtering from the room. The exact words were muffled, but the tone was clearly one of displeasure. Looking through the glass wall, they saw Temperance and Seeley talking with an older, red-haired woman. Jon noted it wasn't quite the color of red. More like scarlet.

As Jon held the door open for Cricket, he could hear the older woman, "Agent Booth…I do not appreciate this case being dropped on my desk. I have other things I was in the middle of, and because you and Dr. Brennan here didn't like the prosecutor assigned, I get more work."

"Caroline," Seeley started, but he was interrupted by Temperance.

"It was actually more than a dislike of Miss Supek," Temperance said firmly. Seeing Caroline's imperious look, Temperance continued less confidently, "It's true, we didn't like her very much…" Caroline's look hardened even more. "But she had a bona fide conflict of interest. She went to college and was best friends with one of the defendants' mother."

Caroline sarcastically cooed, "Ohhh…is that all?" She continued, more irritated, "Cherie, I know many people here in the area. Should I recuse myself of any case that may involve them?"

Jon spoke up, "Actually, it was Miss Supek's divided loyalties that made us think she wasn't sure who the victims were."

Caroline, Temperance and Seeley turned to see the new arrivals. Temperance and Seeley exhaled softly. Seeley said to Caroline, "Caroline Julian, this is Jon Smith and Christine Stapleton." Caroline and Jon appraised each other.

Caroline was a bit taller than Jon. Perhaps three or four inches shorter than Temperance. Slightly stocky, with short, scarlet-dyed hair, Jon gauged she was also in her fifties. She wore loose-fitting clothes, a somewhat clunky necklace and matching bracelets. Caroline looked briefly at Cricket and said, "Miss Stapleton and I have met." She turned her eyes towards the stranger in the group. Jon had seen the look in Caroline's eyes before. This was a hunter, stalking its prey. Looking for any sign of weakness. While looking directly at Jon, she said to no one in particular, "Is this the reason I've just been put behind the 8-ball with my colleagues?"

Both Temperance and Seeley opened their mouths to speak, but Jon was quicker, "No. You have more work because Sergeant Harold Williams, Corporal Tommy Donovan and Specialist Sidney Jonson were not going to receive justice if Miss Supek continued with the case."

It seemed to Jon that Caroline's expression turned even harder, if that were possible. "Why did you think she wasn't doing the best job she could?"

"She invited the defendants' parents to our case review where she methodically began picking apart the case. Exposing potential weaknesses of the case to people who have vested interests in seeing Tommy Foster and George Meacham go free." Jon zeroed in on Caroline, "Are those the actions of a prosecutor working for the victims or the suspects?"

Caroline challenged Jon, "You were almost killed by those two. Don't you consider yourself a victim too?"

"Those are separate matters," Jon nodded. "What we're doing here is trying to get the best results for the three dead victims. Aren't we?" He cocked his head to the side and looked in Caroline's eyes.

"Yes we are," Caroline said in a steely tone.

"Then we're agreed," Jon said. He smiled and offered his hand to Caroline. "You're from the South, aren't you? Louisiana?"

Surprised, Caroline took his hand and shook it, "That's right."

Jon nodded his head, "I thought I heard a bit of Creole or perhaps Cajun. You from the New Orleans area?"

To Temperance and Seeley's surprise, Caroline smiled and said, "Actually, I'm from the Alexandria area."

"Smack dab in the middle, huh?" Jon said. Caroline, surprised, nodded her head. Jon moved towards the coffee station. He offered to fix a cup for Caroline, who nodded again with an "Uh-huh." He began fixing a cup for her, "So, what's a sweet Southern girl like you doing so close to the Mason-Dixon line?" Caroline laughed and grabbed his upper arm.

Stunned, Temperance and Seeley turned to Cricket who shook her head, smiled and raised her hands palms up in a gesture of surrender.

* * *

Once the rest of the group had arrived and settled themselves around the table, with their coffee and snacks, Temperance was surprised at the level of ease everyone seemed to carry. It seemed to her that the meeting was much more loose and relaxed than the usual case reviews. Zack, Angela and Hodgins filled Cam in on the adventures on the boat. Even Caroline made a joke to Cricket that if she doesn't take care of Jon, Caroline would have to do something about it. Of course she had prefaced it with her trademark _'Cherie'_ so everyone knew she was kidding.

"All right, everyone," Caroline started as she began leafing through the file. "Let's hash over what we've got here." She pulled out a yellow legal pad decorated with scribbles and scrawls; her notes.

"Do you think what Supek did damaged the case too badly?" Temperance asked.

Caroline shook her head, "She may have given the parents some insights, but I don't see anything that can't be fixed."

"So, what are we looking at Caroline?" Seeley asked. "What kind of charges will you be filing?

Caroline said, "Obviously, for the three dead victims, for each defendant, one count each of First-Degree Murder."

"That's it?" Hodgins said incredulously.

Caroline said, "Baby, I ain't done yet. I can probably attach Hate Crime status because of them being homeless and vulnerable. But unfortunately, that's it. I can't prove they were kidnapped." At the group's lack of enthusiasm Caroline said, "I know y'all were hoping for more, but only specific circumstances will allow us to ask for the federal death penalty."

"Such as?" Zack asked.

"Murder of a federal agent, kidnapping, terrorism…" Caroline started.

"What about Jon's case?" Cricket asked worriedly.

"That, I can prove a lot more easily," Caroline said. "For each defendant, I'll charge: one count of Kidnapping, one count of Assault, one count of Battery. Tommy Foster I'll also charge with one count of Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and one count of Attempted Murder. And because," she looked at Jon, "you identified yourself as a federal agent; that will be an aggravating circumstance that will earn them the death penalty."

"If not executed, what kind of sentences will they get?" Cam asked.

Caroline said, "Three life sentences for the murders, and pretty much life sentences for the rest of it." Frustrated exhalations came from some of the group. "Hey, the only way they will get the death penalty is on the Kidnapping and Assault and Attempted Murder charges on Agent Smith here," she nodded at Jon. "But you never know what a jury will decide. They may look at the boys and decide they can rehabilitate the two instead."

Silence enveloped the group. Cricket rested her hand on Jon's forearm. Jon turned to her, she saw the question in his eyes. She whispered, "Whatever you think is best." Jon saw the Love in her eyes and knew what he had to do.

"What about a deal?" he said.

The group looked at him. Caroline said, "I'm going to let you decide. You're the one who was almost killed. What are you willing to accept?"

Jon looked around at his friends' expectant faces. He knew they would fight to the last for him. But as he had told Cricket the night before, this wasn't just about him.

"How about this?" he said to Caroline. "Offer to drop all charges relating to me and they plead guilty to three counts of First Degree Murder." Jon could hear the intake of air in surprised lungs. "In return, they will receive three sentences of 25 years to Life, consecutively." He looked around at his friends, "If they're lucky, they'll be out when they are in their 90's." He turned back to Caroline, "But they have to allocute. They have to say in court what they did."

Seeley looked at Jon, "Are you sure?"

Jon looked at Seeley, "We're here to give justice to those three murdered soldiers. If Meacham and Foster plead guilty to their deaths and get the maximum sentence we can give them…" Jon looked at the others, "…that's enough for me. If leveraging what they did to me will get them to accept those sentences," he nodded his head, "then I can live with that." He turned back to Caroline, "Do you think you can sell it to them?"

After a few moments' silence, Caroline said, "I heard that you and Booth were once partners." Jon nodded. She continued, "Now I know where Booth got his standards from." She smiled and said, "If I can't sell their attorneys , I'll give up the profession of Law." Caroline lowered her eyes to the tabletop. Everyone around the table heard her shocked inhalation. She turned to Temperance. "Cherie, no one told me you had gotten engaged!"

Temperance looked down at her hand and saw her engagement ring sparkling against the deep brown of the table. Her head rocketed up and she looked at Caroline, then at Seeley. "Uhhh….yes."

Caroline smiled and asked, "So who's the lucky…" She spotted Temperance looking at Seeley and then saw Seeley looking back at her, slightly uncomfortable. Caroline's smile grew wider and the tone of her voice became lighter, almost mocking when she said, "Seeley Booth! What are you doing getting engaged without telling me?"

Seeley started to mumble, "Well, there hasn't been a formal announcement yet…"

"I just knew when I had you two kiss under the mistletoe last Christmas that something good would come out of it!" Caroline said with some satisfaction.

Fear darted back and forth from Seeley's eyes to Temperance's and back again as surprised exclamations rang out:

"You two kissed last year?" from Cam.

"When did that happen?" from Hodgins.

"Why didn't you tell me?" from Angela.

Jon stood and helped Cricket to her feet. He said to Seeley, "See? What did I tell you? Secrets have a way of coming out."

The questions were flying fast and furious as Jon and Cricket left the room.


	57. Seeley's Final Exam

**A/N:** If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. Amazingly, it's titled, "The Long Road Home Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, go to Forums / TV / Bones. It should be somewhere in the listing.

* * *

As Seeley angled the SUV into the parking area, he could see a couple of other cars already perched along the warehouse. He pulled the truck into his usual parking spot by the warehouse door, turned off the lights and twisted the key in the ignition. Before removing the key, he looked around. Noting the other cars, he thought, _"What are Hodgins and Temperance doing here?"_ He surmised that Angela and possibly Cricket were also here. _"Well, I'm not going to get any answers sitting out here."_ He pulled the keys from the ignition and opened the door. The cold air enveloped him as he swung his legs out of the truck and stood up. The yellow glow of the dome light stretched his shadow across the ground. He sniffed at the cold air. _"I guess Fall is officially here,"_ he thought. _"Just in time for my birthday tomorrow."_ He thought about it as he closed the truck door behind him. The absence of the dome light caused a momentary shutter of blindness, which quickly dissipated. _"Christ, how did I get to be 37 already?"_ He could see his breath puff out in front of him as he moved towards the door. It wasn't cold, but the chill lent a crispness to the air. It seemed his senses were sharper somehow. As though the coolness had somehow transported him back to his youth, when his eyesight was clear and his body was at its physical peak. Too often lately he had been noticing minor aches and pains hit him for seemingly no reason at all. He would stand up after sitting for awhile, and he might feel a slight twinge in his lower back. His shoulders seemed to ache occasionally. Both of them, the one he injured so long ago and the one he was fighting through the rehab now. He punched his security code into the lock and heard the muffled _'Click'_ of the lock releasing. He opened the door and entered the facility.

* * *

Once inside the warehouse, with the door firmly latched behind him, he looked around; spotting Jon, Temperance and Hodgins standing near the exercise area. Moving towards them, he noticed they were all wearing the laser receptors he and Jon had used to simulate hits during the combat scenarios.

Temperance spotted him first. She turned, and placing her hands on her hips, said smiling, "Well, there you are! We thought you may have gotten lost!"

Hodgins smiled, looking ridiculous with a band of receptors around his head. "Or maybe you had decided it was too late and you would bag it for the day!"

Seeley raised his hand in a shushing manner. Nodding his head, he said, "Yeah….yeah….yeah." And then, directly to Hodgins and Temperance, "What are you two doing here?" He turned to Jon, "I thought I was going to do some lifting tonight?"

"Glad you could make it Seeley," Jon smiled. "I thought we might take a look at our progress so far. Any objections to a couple of combat scenarios?"

Seeley looked down at the semi-automatic resting on the table, "Not all," he smiled as he picked up the weapon. "It'll be a lot more interesting than just lifting weights, listening to you ramble on about the metaphysical and sociological aspects of _'Wall-E'_". He ejected the clip and moved the slide back, ensuring the gun was not loaded.

"I'm hurt," Jon said. "I'll have you know I think Pixar is on the cutting edge of today's filmmaking…"

Seeley smiled. He returned the clip into the grip and raised the gun, checking the laser sighting. "Same as last time?" he asked.

Seeley missed the smiles and looks that passed between the other three. "No," Jon said. "I've set up a labyrinth for you to navigate through." Seeley turned to look at him. "You'll start out running for awhile, and then you'll move through a few stations where you'll have to make some combat decisions."

Seeley placed the gun back on the table and began putting on a set of laser receptors. He nodded towards Hodgins and Temperance, "And these two?" He noted their smiles.

"They'll be involved in your decision-making process," Jon explained, helping Seeley adjust the receptors. "You up for it?"

Seeley nodded, "It'll be interesting to see where I am. I think physically I'll be okay. Might be a question, mentally."

While adjusting a sensor, Jon noted, "Hell, I've always had questions about that."

Hodgins and Temperance laughed.

* * *

Seeley ran the course outline through in his head. The dimmed warehouse lighting hid the journey Seeley had to take. Jon had somehow cordoned off walkways and scene areas throughout the warehouse. Traversing those corridors and areas would be a challenge, Booth knew. _"He must have had help setting it up,"_ Seeley thought. _"That's where Angela and Cricket are."_ A single spotlight illuminated the treadmill Seeley's legs pounded on. He had done this before, so he was used to the whine of the treadmill's motor and the whisper of the belt moving beneath his feet.

Suddenly, a klaxon sounded, and Jon's voice came over the speakers, "Hit it! Now! Now! Now!" Seeley leaped off the treadmill and moved to the first station. As he moved, Jon's voice burst from the speakers, "Ace … Nine… Seven… Ace… Nine… Two…Four!" Seeley arrived at the first station to see a target covered with playing cards. In turn, each card had two receptors on it. He "fired" his weapon seven times…seven receptors began wailing. He tuned to his left and began running to the second station.

Halfway there, sirens and strobe lights clawed at his attention. He could feel his heart beating fasting. A quick jump to the right and he was at the second station. He looked and saw Angela raising a knife, seemingly in preparation to plunge it into Naomi. Zack looked like he was moving towards Angela to either wrestle the knife away, or take the blow. Seeley fired, once. The receptor on the back of Angela's head began its piercing warble. Seeley continued moving to the right.

He heard the receptors from the first two stations silence just as he reached the third station. Seated in a chair was Hodgins, with Cricket holding a gun pointed at him. Seeley noted absently that her weapon was also affixed with a laser sight. She saw Seeley and moved to put Hodgins between the two. She raised her weapon towards Seeley just as the receptor in the middle of her chest started sounding. Seeley started forward, through the station onward to the third station when Hodgins stood up and grabbed him. "Hey man!" he shouted over the sirens and wailing receptor. "Thanks for coming for…" Seeley saw movement out of the corner of his left eye. He turned and saw Jon advancing on him, with his weapon leveling at him. Seeley pushed Hodgins to the ground and fired twice, scoring hits on Jon's head and throat. He continued through to the fourth station.

At the fourth station, Seeley momentarily paused as his mind raced to comprehend the scene. Zack had a baseball bat in his hands and was advancing and swinging the bat at both Naomi and Angela. Seeley noted receptors wrapped around the head of the bat. He fired and one of the receptors on the bat began screaming. He noted the receptor from the previous station had silenced. He moved to his left, towards what he knew was the final station.

Moving into an even more darkened corridor, his heart pounding in his ears and lungs beginning to wheeze in his chest, he felt more than saw his attacker. As he turned, he saw a brief glimpse of a figure just before it tackled him around his waist and took him to the floor, hard. Seeley's gun clattered away into the gloom as his jaw was clipped by the top of his assailant's head. Seeley's head jerked back and he saw brief, brilliant flashes of light. His hands found his opponent's face and he pushed his head back, trying to break the grip around his waist. For a moment, he was free, only to feel his combatant's fist crash into his jaw. He flung his fist into his opponent's face, knocking him a short distance away. He leapt onto the man's back, only to have the man's elbow sink into his right eye. Seeley stumbled backwards a little. The man turned towards him. Seeley sent his knee crashing into the man's nose. The man rolled away. Seeley could see the shape of his weapon lying on the floor nearby. He turned and began stumbling towards it, but a hand closed around his left ankle and pulled him to the ground. His opponent moved up to straddle his chest and sent a runaway moon into Seeley's head. Seeley brought his leg up and hooked the man's head, pulling him off his chest. He turned and scrabbled over towards where his weapon lay. Reaching out, he felt a fist pound into his kidney just as he felt the grip of his weapon in his hand. He twisted, brought the weapon up and fired, three times. Three receptors began wailing. Seeley stumbled to his feet and, after getting his bearings, ran to the final station.

He reached the final station just in time to see a woman point her weapon at a group of other people. A receptor from the group began shrieking. Seeley pointed his weapon and fired three times. Two receptors on the woman's head and one in her chest began wailing almost simultaneously. He dropped to his knees, his breathing rasping in and out of his chest.

The sirens and strobes stopped as the rest of the warehouse lighting illuminated the scene. As Temperance silenced the three receptors, she was shocked at the sight of Seeley, bloodied and spent, on his knees. Further down the makeshift corridor, Jon was slowly getting to his knees and reaching to silence the receptors' din. Jon pulled the strip of receptors off. His breathing labored, all he could do was kneel with his head in his hands, resting upon the floor. She looked at the group of people. Cricket silenced the receptor on her arm and was moving towards Jon, visibly shaken. Angela, Jack, Naomi and Zack looked at the scene with varying degrees of horror and disbelief.

Temperance dropped the weapon and knelt in front of Seeley. He sat back, upright, on his haunches, breathing heavily. He wiped blood from his mouth. She took his head in her hands. Looking deeply into his eyes, she said firmly, "We're not doing this again." Seeley closed his eyes and, taking a deep breath, nodded his head. After a moment, he opened his eyes. He turned and saw Jon sitting as he was. He spat a mass of blood onto the floor. Cricket, tears in her eyes, wanting to admonish him, but at the sight of him, couldn't. Seeley and Jon's eyes met. They both nodded almost imperceptively.

Temperance and the rest of the group watched, as seemingly with every ounce of strength left, Seeley stood and moved over to Jon. Seeley knelt and took Jon in his arms, the two men rocking back and forth. She could see, but not hear, the shuddering sobs of the two men as they buried themselves deep within their embrace. Jon had done it. Seeley was back. All the way back. There were no words Seeley could use to express his gratitude. He didn't have to. A father knows when his son loves him.

* * *

Cricket dabbed at the corner of Jon's mouth with the antiseptic, "You two clowns are done with this," she said angrily. "Temperance and I have had enough of this _'Band of Brothers'_ stuff." She jabbed the antiseptic deep into the cut.

"Ow!" Jon jumped. "Sorry!" He caught her hand with his and looked into her eyes. "It's done. Seeley's back. As soon as he qualifies with the bureau, I'm retiring for good."

Hodgins said, looking from Seeley to Jon and back again, "You know, I think I can speak for the rest of my compatriots when I say if we had known what was going to go on here tonight, we wouldn't have offered to help." Murmurs of agreement rose from Angela, Zack and Naomi.

Seeley winced as he moved the ice pack from his jaw to his eye, "I understand. But at least you all can take heart that at least now I know when I'm on the street and I draw my weapon I won't be a menace to the general population."

Temperance interjected, "No…just to yourself."

Jon said, "I apologize to everyone." He looked from one to the other with genuine remorse in his eyes. "I should have let you know exactly what was going to happen. That would have allowed you to make a more informed decision about whether you wanted to help or not." He paused, eyes locking with each one, "I'm sorry."

Angela nodded, "Apology accepted." She turned to Seeley, "So when do you think you'll be back at work?"

Seeley shrugged, "Well, I've still got to weapons qualify…"

"More of this?" Naomi asked apprehensively.

Seeley smiled, "No, just shooting at paper targets." He continued, "Temperance and I have a closing on our condo on Wednesday."

Jon said, "You've got an appointment to qualify at the range tomorrow at 1:00 PM." Seeley and Temperance both looked shocked. "After that, I'm going to retire and then treat you all to a birthday celebration for Seeley tomorrow evening."

"So when will you be going back to Florida?" Seeley asked.

"Pretty soon," Jon responded. Seeing the unhappy looks, he said, "Yes, I'll miss you too. But we all knew this day was coming. And you all can come down and visit us," he kissed Cricket's hands, "and we have every intention of coming back up occasionally."

"Plus there's the wedding," Cricket smiled. "You know you're all invited. Seeley's the Best Man and Temperance is the Maid of Honor." She looked at Temperance, "If she would do me the honor."

Surprised, Temperance said, "The honor is all mine."

Jon said, "The weddings on the 17th of January, if you can make it. We'll send out invitations later. Anyway, Cricket and I will be leaving in a couple of weeks. And we've got a lot to do before then."

"Well," Temperance started, "I've got to get Seeley home so he can rest up for his qualifying tomorrow." She looked at Jon, "You'll let us know about dinner tomorrow?" Jon nodded.

"Are you going to come for the qualifying?" Seeley asked.

"Do you need me there?" Jon asked.

Seeley looked at Jon a moment, and then shook his head. "You probably need to rest up from the beating you took."

Jon shot back, "Beating I took? You better go look in a mirror buddy boy!"

At that, the group, minus Seeley and Jon started moving towards the door. Once there, Temperance looked back at them. They were still seated; Jon had his hand resting on the back of Seeley's head and was whispering into his ear.

Angela nudged Temperance. Smilingly, she said, "You're going to get Booth to tell you what he said later, aren't you?"

Temperance remembered Seeley's stories of how Jon had gotten him out of his gambling scrapes. Her gaze rested on Jon's hand, cradling and supporting Seeley's head and neck. She shook her head, "No," she said turning to look at Angela's surprised expression. "That's something private." She turned back to see Seeley stand, "Something between father and son."


	58. Happy Birthday

**A/N:** If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. Amazingly, it's titled, "The Long Road Home Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, go to Forums / TV / Bones. It should be somewhere in the listing.

* * *

6:37 AM

Eyes closed, Seeley turned over on his side. Twinges of pain fired in his torso, hands and arms as well as his face. Reminders of the beating he had taken the night before. Jon was unorthodox in his training methods, but Seeley had no doubt that Jon's tortuous regimen had served him well. In the end, in a combat situation, he was able to block out all the distractions and focus specifically on the threats and fire or no-fire solutions. In the last scenario, he hadn't realized it was Temperance holding the weapon until she had told him on the way home.

"_Temperance,"_ he thought, and reached out for her. Finding only empty space on her side of the bed, he leaned forward and stretched further. _"She can't be that far away,"_ he thought. When he felt the edge of the bed, he opened his eyes. At the sight of the empty bed, he lay back disappointedly. He interlocked his fingers and lay them, palms up across his eyes. Letting out a low sigh, he was slightly surprised at his disappointment in not waking up next to her. He reached over and brought her pillow to him, breathing in her scent. Warmth began radiating through him.

He jerked at the sound of her soft voice, "Awake yet, Seeley?"

He moved the pillow away from his face and saw her leaning in the doorway, smiling at him. She was wearing one of his white dress shirts. He thought crazily that he was going to need to increase his supply of dress shirts to accommodate them both. Her hair was up, clipped at the back. She wore no makeup, but her eyes were luminous, her complexion flawless and delicious-looking. Her left leg held straight, taking most of her weight, allowed her right leg, slightly bent at the knee, to gently rock back and forth. White athletic socks, bunched at the ankles, served as contrasts to her shapely, tanned legs. She held a white coffee cup in each hand. He watched as she tilted her head slightly and raised one of the cups to her lips; drinking carefully, lest she burn herself on the hot liquid. He moved the pillow back over to her side of the bed as he shook his head, "Seeing you there, I must still be dreaming."

Her smile lit up her face, along with his heart. "So, what's the plan for today, Birthday Boy?" she said as she moved towards him.

"Oh…is that how it's going to be today?" he smiled. "Rubbing it in…all day?"

She sat next to him and offered the second cup. He took it and raised it to his lips. "Not rubbing it in," she countered. "Celebrating." She leaned in and kissed him as he lowered the cup.

"I can't remember the last time I celebrated my birthday," he said, taking another sip.

She caressed his chest, and then leaned in and kissed him just below his collarbone. "Don't you think you've got something to celebrate this year?" she murmured, placing her cup on the nightstand.

The warm feeling Seeley had felt was now moving lower in his torso. "Mmmmm…you're right," he said. Temperance continued kissing first one spot on his chest, and then another. "Once I qualify this afternoon, I'll be able to come back to work. Ohhhh…" he groaned as Temperance lightly held his nipple between her teeth.

She rose up, away from him but still with her hands on his chest. With a sharp intake of breath, she said in her peeved voice, "Is that _**all**_ you have to celebrate?"

Disappointed at her movement away from him, he said, "Of course not. The woman I'm in love with…the one I want to spend the rest of my days and nights with…is here in my arms. Life can't get any better than this."

She reached up and undid the clasp holding her hair. She shook her head as her hair fell around her face. "Oh really?" she said, smoldering passion leaping from her eyes into his. Leaning down to kiss the center of his chest, she said, "I think the best is yet to come."

"That's icing on the cake," he smiled at the sensations she stirred in him.

"That's for later," she murmured as she placed her tongue into his navel.

* * *

10:27 AM

Sam Cullen sat behind his sturdy maple desk. Leaning back in the matching chair, reading glasses perched on his nose, feet raised and crossed on an open drawer, he reviewed the file detailing the week's surveillance numbers. He heard a knock on the door. Looking up, over the readers, he saw through the viewing window Agent Jon Smith and audio tech Christine Stapleton waving to him. With a _'What now?'_ look, he waved them in. As they entered, he removed the reading glasses and stood up.

On getting a better look at Smith, Cullen said, "Christ, Jon! What the hell happened?"

Jon smiled and said, "Just the remnants of a training session with Seeley." He extended his hand.

Cullen warily grasped his hand and looked questioningly at Stapleton. She added, "A training session that went _**way**_ out of bounds of good sense!"

Cullen released Jon's hand and motioned for the two have a seat. "So, who got the better of it? You or Booth?" He resumed his seat.

"It ended up a draw," Jon said.

Disgustedly, Christine said, "A draw? Yeah, right! That's why you were there, bloodied on the floor, while he continued on and completed the exercise."

Cullen looked blank-faced as Jon said, "Well, next time I won't pull my punches…"

"There isn't going to be a next time!" Christine said. "If the situation ever arises again, you two clowns are going to have to figure out something else." Jon looked at her, his eyes emptying of emotion. Cullen had seen the look before. As had Christine. "Don't give me those _'assassin's eyes'_ either!" She turned back and looked at Cullen, who looked from her to Jon. After a moment, when she realized Jon was still looking at her, she turned back to him and, looking him dead in his eyes, said, "I mean it."

Life flowed back into Jon's eyes and he said softly, "I'm sorry. You're right."

Cullen was thunderstruck. He had never seen Jon back down. This was something new. He cleared his throat, "So, to what do I have the pleasure of your company?"

"Seeley's back," Jon said. Cullen tilted his head a bit. Jon continued, "He's going to weapons qualify this afternoon. After which, he will be fit for duty."

Cullen nodded, "And you? What are your plans for life after qualifying?" He saw Jon reach out and grasp Christine's hand.

"I'm going to retire," he paused a moment, "for good." Cullen's gaze turned to Christine.

"As am I," she said. "I've already notified Frank, and I'm here to give you my notification." She continued, "If you need a two-week's notification…" she continued.

Cullen smiled, "That won't be necessary. I'm assuming you are moving down to Florida, getting married, and getting set to live the good life?"

"Why don't you come with us, Sam?" Jon said. "You and Julia?" Sam gave him an uncomprehending look. "Look," he continued. "When you come down for the wedding, just stay! I know you just got back a little while ago from your sabbatical. It might do you both good to live a more relaxed lifestyle. God knows, you've earned it." Jon could tell Sam was mulling it over. "We can see about getting you cured of your seasickness and then I could set you up with a boat. We were thinking about adding to the Odyssey fleet…"

"I'd much rather have an aircraft sight-seeing service," Sam said. "I'd finally be able to use my pilot's license for something other than just putting in hours for recertification."

Jon nodded vigorously, "Okay…we can do that."

"Let me think about it a bit, okay?"

"Take as much time as you need." Jon said. "Really…we'd love to have you down there. And hopefully, once Booth decides to retire, we'll have everybody there."

"I'll talk to Julia. See if we can figure out the finances." Jon opened his mouth, but was stopped by Sam's hand, signaling _'Stop.'_ "Thanks for the offer, but we would like to be able to do at least part of it on our own." Jon closed his mouth and nodded. "So, when are you two leaving?"

"A couple of weeks," Cricket said. "I've already done some packing of the stuff in my apartment." She and Jon looked at each other, "I've got to decide what I'm going to keep and move and what I'm going to donate to charity." Jon squeezed her hand. "Knowing Jon's taste, I'm not sure what he has in Florida is going to cut it."

"What's wrong with my taste? I chose _**you**_, didn't I?" Jon asked.

Sam laughed as he stood up. Jon and Cricket stood as well. Jon removed his credential case from his pocket and, with a bit of sadness, held it out to Sam. He took the case and opened it. He saw the gold badge, the Bureau ID card. He thought a moment, and, taking his thumb and forefinger, he removed the ID card and offered the case back to Jon. Jon took the case in his left hand and looked from the badge to Sam with an uncomprehending look.

"For old time's sake," Sam said. "Just don't tell anybody."

Jon nodded appreciatively. He jerked a thumb towards the outer office and said, "I'm just going to give the others the news." Sam nodded. Jon continued, "Let me know about the other thing. I'm serious." The two men shook hands once more, with assertions that they would be in touch, both via phone and in person, prior to Jon's scheduled departure date.

After Jon and Cricket had left the office, Sam watched through the viewing glass as they walked, hand in hand, toward Charlie Burns' desk. He turned his attention back to the folder on surveillance statistics and joylessly sat down.

* * *

12:30 PM

Seeley laid out his weapon, extra clips and the boxes of shells on the table. Around him, he could hear the _'pop' 'pop' 'pop'_ report of other individuals' weapons at the range. He was the only one here who was weapons qualifying today. _"I wonder how Jon managed that one?"_ Seeley thought with some amusement. And then it hit him, _"He __**knew**__ I would be ready to qualify today."_ He was surprised a bit at his feeling of melancholy. While he would still have Parker and Temperance in his life on a daily basis, he found he was already feeling the twinge of missing Jon. He absently began loading all of his clips. With the noise mufflers on his ears and so lost in his task, he was mildly surprised when he saw a shadow cover his weapon and equipment. He looked up to see Temperance standing in front of him, wearing noise protectors, and also with a set of yellow-colored shooting glasses. But it was her smile that put him at ease. "What are you doing here?" he yelled.

"What? Do you feel more pressure with an audience?" she yelled back.

He motioned for them to take the noise mufflers off. She nodded and removed them as he pushed his down to encircle his neck. "No…it's not that," he began. "I just thought you had other things to do?"

Temperance walked around the table to stand next to him, "I was hoping for a 'quickie' to relax you before your big qualifying attempt," she said, straight-faced. She could see his dumbfounded look and guessed he wasn't sure if she was kidding. She continued, "Really? You think I wouldn't be here when _'My Man'_ has his big day?" Seeley noticed the twang she had put in her voice when she stressed the _'My Man.'_

"Since when did you turn all Country and Western on me?" Seeley smiled.

"Why," she said, batting her eyes. "Since the sheriff came back to town," she leaned in and kissed him. After they broke the kiss, Temperance pointed to the bleachers where observers could watch the proceedings. "I'll be over there when you're done."

He smiled and nodded, turning his attention back to the task of ensuring his equipment was in its proper working order.

* * *

12:50 PM

Seeley looked up; satisfied everything was in working order. Hoping to catch another glimpse into Temperance's eyes, he looked up to see Temperance, beaming, pointing to her right. Seeley followed her finger and saw Cricket helping Jon onto the bleachers. He quickly looked down, trying to hide the rise in his emotions. _'He came.'_ Seeley thought. Last night he had given no indication he would even try to make it. _'But he came.'_ Seeley looked up to see Jon and Cricket, now seated, smiling and waving to him. He waved back, blinking back tears.

Jon leaned over, "What's with him?"

"I don't know," Temperance said. "He seemed okay before."

Jon looked at Seeley attempting to take some deep breaths, only to be betrayed by slight shudders. "Why don't you go down there and try to calm him down?"

Temperance nodded and made her way to where Seeley stood. He steadfastly ignored her. "What's going on?" she finally said.

"Do we make you nervous?" she asked with concern in her voice. "Should we leave? Is it too much pressure?"

Seeley shook his head, "No," he said. "I just…I've always been alone when I've done something like this." Temperance could feel an ache in her heart. "Now, I've got a cheering squad. It's…different."

Temperance smiled, "Different good, or different bad?"

He nodded, "Different good. Now I get to share my triumphs with people who care about me."

"That it?" she asked.

"He came," Seeley said with a tremor in his voice. "I didn't think he would come."

Temperance took his hand. "Remember what you told me about your baseball games? How your father would close up his shop to come to watch you play?" Seeley nodded. Temperance turned her head to look at Jon. Seeley's gaze followed suit. "He came to see you play."

Jon gave him a thumb's up, while Cricket let out with a "Whoof….Whoof….Whoof," with a fist in the air.

Seeley turned and saw the range master and Qualifying instructor walking towards the testing area. They were looking at the two spectators as though they had just dropped in from an insane asylum. He smiled and looked at Temperance. She was standing there with her right arm bent and her fist stuck out. His smiled broadened as he mirrored her pose. She tapped the top of his fist with hers and said, "Shoot 'em up." He tapped the top of hers and repeated, "Shoot 'em up."

* * *

1:20 PM

"Ever do _'The Wave,'_ Temperance?" Jon asked.

"I've heard of it," she said. "But I've never actually done it."

"Just follow our lead," Cricket said.

"After this round," Jon said.

She nodded and smiled. Temperance could feel her heart begin to beat a little faster. She found it seemed impossible not to have fun when she was around these people.

The instructor's disembodied voice boomed from the loudspeakers, "15 Yards…Primary Hand...10 Rounds, Five Rounds, reload, Five Rounds…Ten Seconds…Ready on the Left…Ready on the Right…Ready on the Firing Line…" Then a loud claxon sounded.

Seeley drew his weapon and began firing,

'_Ka-chow', 'Ka-chow', 'Ka-chow', 'Ka-chow', 'Ka-chow'_

The slide locked back. Seemingly, with no movement from his aiming hand or thought whatsoever, the clip fell from the grip. At the same time, Seeley's left arm reached down to his belt and then moved back up to the grip. Temperance could hear the clip click into position, and then the slide seated home.

'_Ka-chow', 'Ka-chow', 'Ka-chow', 'Ka-chow', 'Ka-chow'_

The slide locked in its open position. "Out!" Seeley yelled.

Seeley heard yells from behind him. He turned and saw Jon stand up and raise his arms to the sky, uttering "Whooo" as he did so. As he sat down, Cricket mimicked his motion, and sound effects, and then it was Temperance who beamed proudly, "Look! It's _'The Wave'!_" Seeley laughed at the sight as they performed the pantomime a few more times.

The range master asked Seeley, "Can't you get them to tone it down a bit?"

As he reloaded his retrieved magazines Seeley asked, "What's the matter? Too loud for you?"

* * *

6:45 PM

Seeley looked around at the occupants of the table. Jon, Cricket, Jack and Angela, Naomi and Zack, Cam, Temperance, and...Parker.

True to his word, Jon had sprung for a dinner birthday celebration. Complete with cake, ice cream and presents. Seeley couldn't remember the last time he had been in the company of people he loved on his birthday. They were generally lonely affairs. Sometimes spent drinking too much. But this year was different. Temperance had seen to that.

She and Jon had coordinated the task of inviting everyone, setting the menu, getting the cake and all those other little details accomplished. That she did all that in between spending time with him at the range, being with him when he met with Cullen announcing himself ready for duty and all the other little details of her life was impressive. She seemed to take the same care and zeal she uses in her work to help make today a special day for him.

He looked at all the gag gifts strewn around the table. A toy cap gun, an oversized sheriff's badge with his name engraved, a bottle of fake Viagra (from Jon – "You know you're getting older…" ). But he had to admit, the two best presents had come from the beautiful woman on his right. Temperance had coordinated with Rebecca for Parker to stay the night with him and Temperance. That included participating in the birthday dinner. And the present that Parker had given to him. He replayed the memory in his mind.

Parker gave the package to Seeley, "Here Dad! I was going to get you a new holster for your gun, but Temperance thought you might like this better."

It was flat, and looked like an oversized book. Seeley noticed the somewhat slapdash way the present was wrapped. "Did you wrap this yourself, buddy?" Parker nodded "Uh-huh" while eating a French fry.

Seeley started to gently peel the wrapping paper away from the present, taking his time. When shouts of "What is it?" and "Hurry Up, will you?" started to be voiced, Temperance, in a fit of impatience, with a sort of growl, ripped the paper from the item. Seeley saw it was the back of a picture frame. He turned it over, and for the second time today was struck with emotion.

It was a black and white photograph. Parker was sitting on a park bench, eating an ice cream cone. His little legs dangled from the bench. To the right, Seeley sat next to him, dressed in jeans, tee shirt and tennis shoes. His right arm encased in a sling supported by his left shoulder. Further to Seeley's right was Temperance. She wore a man's shirt, tied at her midriff. The sleeves were folded up to about the middle of her forearms. She wore shorts and what appeared to be flip-flops on her feet. She sat with her legs crossed, one flip-flop dangling from her toes. Her right hand rested on Seeley's left leg. Her left hand held an ice cream cone, which she was holding out towards Seeley. Seeley's head was tilted towards her, in an effort to perhaps get a better angle on the ice cream cone. He didn't need the photograph to remember the day, but her knowing it was special made it even more so.

He turned the photograph around to show the others at the table. He smiled at Temperance as the rest of the group _'Ooohed'_ and _'Ahhhed'_ and laughed. "I had forgotten all about this," he smiled. He turned to Parker. "Thank you!" he said.

Parker smiled and said, "It's for your office, when you go back to work."

"And I've got just the spot for it, Buddy!"

He turned the photograph back to face him. He caressed the figures under the glass with his fingers. While Parker had been the one to give it to him, he knew that Temperance had actually been the driving force behind it. He looked at her to find her looking at him. Trying to determine if he truly liked it. He smiled and mouthed the words, "It's perfect." In that instance, it seemed to Seeley that she positively glowed.

* * *

7:35 PM

The waitress looked at the display on the digital camera. "Everybody ready?" she asked. Murmurs of 'Yes' responded. "All right, everybody say 'cheese'."

At that, the group surrounding Seeley said the required word in unison. They were greeted by a brief flash and then laughter erupted from the group. People started to move away as Temperance walked over to stand by the waitress, waiting for the photo taken to be shown on the monitor. "Wait….wait…" she said. "We need to make sure it came out all right."

Groans of impatience rose at the thought of having to stay clustered together. The photo finally flashed on the screen. Temperance smiled. She wasn't too concerned about the people on the periphery. It may have sounded cruel, but her attention was concentrated on the three figures in the center of the screen. Satisfied that at least those three had been captured to her liking she said, "Okay! That's good." She turned to the waitress and said smilingly, "Thank you very much." She nodded and moved away to other duties.

Temperance turned to back to Jon, Seeley and Parker. "Can I get one more of the three of you?" Jon and Seeley shrugged to each other as Parker leaned back into his father impatiently.

The rest of the group milled next to Temperance as Temperance lined the men up. Seeley sat in a chair with Parker on his lap. Jon stood behind Seeley, his hands resting on his shoulders. Noting what Temperance had done, Cricket leaned in to her, "Can you send us a copy of that?" Temperance turned to her, smiled and nodded.

"You know, Brennan," Angela said. "If you want, I can see about cleaning it up and enhancing it so you get it blown up without losing any quality."

"Oooh…that'd be great!" Cricket said.

Temperance nodded her acknowledgement. "Good idea, Ange." She pressed the button.

* * *

10:30 PM

Parker lay asleep in Temperance's guest bedroom while Seeley and she lay curled up in her bed.

"What time do we need to get up to make sure Parker gets to school on time?" Temperance asked.

"Six thirty should be good enough. I don't think he'll be waking up anytime tonight. He was pretty tuckered out," Seeley answered. Temperance was herself drifting off fairly quickly when her thoughts were interrupted. "Temperance?" Seeley said.

She inhaled deeply through her nose, "Yes?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For today. It was the best birthday I've had since…"

After a moment's silence, Temperance said, "Since when?"

"Well, since the day we met," Seeley answered.

"Mmmmm?" Temperance said, confused.

"That was the day we met, four years ago."

"Really? I treated you horribly. Why was that such a good day?"

"Because I got to meet you. It almost seemed like you were a gift from God," Seeley said. "A bright light in a blackened room."

"A gift from God?" Temperance said.

Seeley nodded, "Yes."

"Well, you sure took your time unwrapping it," she pulled him closer and began drifting off to sleep.


	59. Goodbyes

**A/N:** If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. Amazingly, it's titled, "The Long Road Home Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, go to Forums / TV / Bones and then do a sort by Topic Count. It should be somewhere in the listing.

* * *

Seeley looked at Temperance's leg; keeping time to an unheard melody. _"She can't be nervous about the flight,"_ he thought. They were seated in those tacky, black vinyl and chrome seats that seem to fill all airport terminal gate waiting areas. People sat scattered here and there in the uncomfortable seats with expressions ranging from excitement to interminable boredom. He thought, _"Waiting for their chance at new and exciting destinations in their lives."_

Two female airline representatives stood behind the ticketing podium; reviewing paperwork, researching who knows what on a computer terminal, and otherwise studiously ignoring the short line of people, each holding a boarding pass, waiting for the airline representatives to acknowledge their presence. Seeley tried to guess what each person wanted to ask the reps; _"Can I upgrade to a better seat?"_ or _"I'm flying standby, what are my chances on getting on this flight?"_ and _"Am I going to make my connecting flight in Atlanta?"_ Seeley's gaze moved to the large windows behind the podium. A Delta Airlines MD88 sat waiting to transport its passengers to Atlanta, Georgia. The Jetway attached to the side of the airplane looked like an umbilical cord, awaiting the surgeon's cut, releasing it from its ties to the terminal. He looked to his right. Very soon, the beautiful woman sitting next to him would be traveling down that umbilical, away from him. With every fiber of his being he wanted to say to her, _"Don't go…stay here with me."_ But he couldn't. He knew this was what she wanted. This was her life's work; her calling. She could no more give this up than he could give up being an agent. This was the reason she didn't go sailing off with Sully. This was what had originally brought her to him. Instead, he smiled reassuringly as he leaned over and said, "You're not nervous about the flight, are you?"

A slight smile came to Temperance's face, "No, of course not." She turned to him, her breathing catching in her throat as she stared into his delicious brown eyes. "I'm just excited at the prospect of what I'll find. Imagine! A two thousand five hundred year old burial crypt! Pre-dating by five hundred years anything else found in the area. From the Pre-Columbian Mayan civilization. And the Jeffersonian wants me to go to Guatemala to authenticate the find." Her excitement filtered away a bit as she turned and looked towards the plane. "I just wish it had come at a better time." She looked back at him and caught the slight sadness he tried to conceal in his eyes. "I'm sorry I won't be able to help with the two moves into the new place."

"Don't worry about it," Seeley smiled. "All I'm going to do is pack boxes and let the movers do all the lifting." He ran his hand along her thigh. "Don't worry about me. You just do your job. Have fun…but not too much fun." He gave her his charm smile, "And hopefully when you get home, you'll be able to just relax without the hassles of the actual move."

Temperance smirked at his smile and then grew serious. "It's just with Jon and Cricket leaving last week, you'll be all alone."

"Trust me," he said, "I've got plenty of things to do to help me pass the time." Temperance looked unsure. He continued, "Besides, didn't I tell you? Hodgins, Zack and Angela have offered to help me pack up some of your more important things. So I won't be _**that**_ alone."

"My important things?"

"Yeah, you know…your artwork. The artifacts of your life." Temperance smiled. Seeley added in his self-evident tone, "I can pack books, CDs, clothing and cooking utensils. No problem. I'll leave the 16th century Ming vases to the experts."

"Hodgins, Angela and Zack are experts at that sort of thing?" she asked, clearly amused.

"Well, they're more experienced at handling those types of things than I am."

Temperance intertwined his hand with hers. Smiling, she raised them and kissed the back of his hand. "Just make sure you get the insurance."

Seeley raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "What's the name of this place you're going to?"

"Puerto Barrios," she responded. "I've got to fly into Guatemala City and then travel by car the 250 miles to Izabal and then on to Puerto Barrios." She took a breath, "Then, it's another trek out to the site."

A woman's voice came from the loudspeakers, "Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. We'd like to welcome you to Delta Airlines Flight 337 to Atlanta. We will begin boarding in a few minutes…"

Temperance stood and began gathering her things as the airline rep continued her spiel. "It sure is handy having a fiancé in the FBI," she said lightly. "Bypassing security is something I could get used to."

Seeley stood next to her and said as he helped her pull her belongings together, in his best fake hurt voice, "Is that all I'm good for? To get you past Security?" And then he gave a fake sniffle.

Temperance leaned in closer, so only he could hear, "There's a couple other things you're good for," she said with a seductive smile.

"You're going to do that now?" Seeley said, half-whining. "Give me a 'come-on' like that just before stepping on a plane and leaving for who knows how long?"

"You're a big boy," she chided playfully. "Buck up, buddy. At least you'll have something to look forward to."

"I'll be counting the hours," Seeley said, leaning in to kiss her.

"You count the hours," she smiled before accepting his kiss, "I'll count the minutes."

* * *

Seeley stood in Temperance's bedroom staring down into her underwear drawer. He was astounded at what lay before him. Her bras and panties lay in a jumble throughout the drawer. No rhyme or reason how they were laid out; save they were all classified in the category of "underwear." Cotton panties crumpled up with the lace ones, right along with the silks. Colors of the rainbow mixed together. The same with her bras. _"I honestly thought she would be a bit more organized than this,"_ he thought. _"But then, she doesn't seem like she would think of underwear as an important accessory. So why bother?"_ He took a deep breath and stuck his hands into the drawer. He crazily got an image in his mind of the many perverts he had read about in case reports who would sneak into women's houses and rummage through their underwear. _"If they could only see me now,"_ he smiled. He withdrew his hands, each clutching a mass of wadded up panties and bras. He turned, and holding his hands over the open cardboard box on her bed, opened his hands. The panties and bras tumbled into the box. All except one bra which had somehow wrapped itself around one of his fingers. Seeley immediately thought of those arcade games where you try to maneuver a crane around a mound of items, attempting to pick up a prize using a claw dropped from the top of the crane. He laughed softly as he closed and extended his fingers to try to dislodge the garment. After a couple of attempts, it slowly dropped into the box. He turned back to the drawer for more digging.

His mind drifted from the task at hand to the rest of the group out in the living room. Hodgins, Angela and Zack were helping to pack up her books, artwork and the other rooms in her apartment. He could hear them talking, joking and making generalized comments. He was reminded that just a couple of weeks ago, they were doing this same routine at Cricket's place. She was preparing to move down to Florida with Jon and was packing up the items she was shipping down there and separating the items she was donating to charity into other boxes. He smiled. Of course, he hadn't been elbow deep in her underwear drawer. Strangely enough, it wasn't she who had made that determination. It had been Jon. He said, "The only hands that will touch her panties, either on or off, are hers and mine." And then he had steered Seeley into the bathroom.

Seeley had allowed himself to be aimed away until he saw where Jon was pushing him. He held his hands on either side of the doorjamb, and shaking his head, "No! Not the bathroom! Not the bathroom!" He sounded almost pleading, "Please! I'll take any other room…but…NOT…THE...BATHROOM!" The rest of the group laughed as Jon, in a dazzling display of flexibility, placed his foot on Seeley's backside and pushed him into the room; tossing in an empty cardboard box behind him.

* * *

Seeley's mind drifted back to the day they left. The four of them, Jon, Cricket, Temperance and he had shared a lunch of burgers, salads and fries at the Royal Diner. He had asked if they wanted to go someplace more upscale, but both Cricket and Jon had vetoed the idea. The Diner had become a favorite eating spot for them. Lunch had been relaxing. The food was good, the companionship reflected the good moods of everyone involved and the conversation had been light and inconsequential; with more than a few jabs and jibes at each other's expense. It had surprised Seeley how close Temperance had grown with Jon and Cricket. Especially so with Cricket. He had once joked that they, including Angela, were the female versions of "The Three Musketeers." He had looked at Temperance and noted proudly that she seemed, like with him, to have grown into the relationship. And now, there was a level of ease and comfort between the two that told of more than just friendship. With the 19 year age difference, Seeley surmised it was like Jon and him. Cricket had taken on somewhat of a mother image for Temperance. Teaching and talking with Temperance about some of the "girly stuff" she had missed out on with her own mother's disappearance.

After lunch, walking back towards the Calliope on the long boat ramp, Seeley watched as the two women walked arm in arm. The weather had turned colder, and the group was dressed to shield them from the wind. The women were far enough in front of him and Jon that they could only hear their voices and their occasional laughter. Seeley's gaze never left Temperance as he said, "She's going to miss her."

Jon nodded, "She'll miss her too," he said, almost sighing. "They've gotten a lot closer than I ever thought they would."

Seeley nodded. He noticed their pace had slowed almost to a crawl_. "Like we're trying to put off the inevitable,"_ he thought. "Sometimes," he said, "When I look at them, I don't see a couple of friends…" He turned towards Jon.

"It's like they're mother and daughter," Jon finished. He turned to Seeley, meeting his eyes. Unspoken understanding passed between them. The two men turned their gaze back to the women. Jon said, "We'll have to make a point of either you two coming down or us coming up often."

Seeley steeled himself against the wind, "If you don't mind, I think we'd like to come down next week," he said, half-joking.

Jon laughed, "You're welcome anytime." After a pause he continued, "Have you talked to Sam?"

"Nothing of importance outside of work," Seeley shook his head. "Why?"

"He's decided to retire." Seeley stopped and turned towards Jon. Jon stopped and faced him. He nodded, "He'll be following us down after he ties up some loose ends up here." Jon could see Seeley's mind working. After a moment, he reached out and squeezed his forearm. "You're not going to be alone. Temperance will be here. And so will the rest of the 'squint squad' and my 'nerd posse.'" He continued, "And we'll always be available. Sam, Cricket," he emphasized "**_Me_**." Seeley nodded. "All you have to do is call. You know that, right?"

Seeley nodded. The two men started walking again. Temperance and Cricket had almost reached Calliope. "We'll just have to make the effort to stay in touch."

"More than we have in the past?" Jon asked.

Seeley sniffed at the cold air and nodded again. "I'm sorry I drifted away. All the stuff that was going around in my head…"

"Forget about it," Jon said. "You're right now." He nodded towards Temperance, "And you've got someone who can keep you on your toes as well as on the straight and narrow." Seeley looked at her, facing Cricket. Even bundled up with her cashmere overcoat and matching hat, her beauty filled him with a warm radiance. Jon continued, "She's not dependent upon you, but she chooses to stay with you…for all the right reasons. Your future together is brighter than your futures apart."

"And I have you to thank for that, too," Seeley said.

"Nah…" Jon said self-deprecatingly, "You two had been making sparks ever since you met. All I did was breathe on them a little bit and allow them to combust into flame."

"You helped get me right," Seeley said. "More open, so I can accept her love." Seeley continued, "You saved me…in more ways than one." He turned to look at Jon as they walked. "I'll never be able to thank you enough."

"No need to," Jon said, as they neared the women. "If it hadn't been for you and Temperance I never would have met this beautiful woman here." Jon smiled. He moved to her and embraced her. Cricket's nose and cheeks had turned pinkish from the cold. Her bright green eyes seemed to sparkle, belying her chilled countenance. Her bottom jaw quivered. Jon leaned in and kissed her, stopping the shaking, and filling her with his warmth.

Seeley moved to Temperance; encircling her waist with his left arm. She looked up to him, her ice-blue eyes filled with joy. He leaned down and kissed her softly.

Jon looked from one to the other, "Well, I guess it's time….no putting this off any longer. Time to get out of the cold." He turned to Temperance, "Temperance, it's been a pleasure," the two embraced. "You keep this guy out of trouble, if you can," he whispered.

Temperance smiled and whispered, "Thank you, Bo Peep. You and Cricket will forever be in my heart."

They turned to see Seeley and Cricket in a likewise embrace. "Take care of this old man," Seeley said gruffly. "Who are you calling 'old'?" Cricket shot back with a smile.

Temperance changed places with Seeley and hugged Cricket. Seeley was a bit surprised to see tears beginning to form in Temperance's eyes. He looked at Jon's extended hand. He shook it once and then drew him into his arms. "Thanks, Dad," he whispered hoarsely. "I'm gonna miss you." He felt Jon's arm patting him on his back, and his other hand cradling his head and neck. He heard Jon's strangled reply, "You too."

Turning his attention back to the others, Seeley saw that Cricket had already gone aboard and was standing on the aft deck; wiping her tears away. He turned to Temperance, herself attempting to compose herself. He gave Jon a last pat on the back and moved to hold Temperance. He watched as Jon climbed over the gunwale and moved to Cricket. She reached up and gently brushed away something that had fallen beneath his eyes.

Holding Cricket with one arm, Jon raised his other in a goodbye salute, palm towards Temperance and Seeley. Cricket followed suit as Temperance and Seeley returned the gesture. "Remember," he admonished, "you guys need to get down there by January 10th. The wedding's on the 17th."

Seeley smiled, "We'll be there." He and Temperance began moving towards the shore. Temperance's arm went around Seeley's back and she placed it in his left coat pocket. After a moment, Seeley turned back and yelled, "Hey Dad?" They saw Jon stop and look towards them. Seeley continued, "What color tux should I rent?"

Jon yelled back, "Black, of course! What do you think this is? The 70s?" And then, he continued, "What do you mean 'rent'? Why don't you show some class and buy the damn thing…" His voice grew more and more indistinct with every step.

* * *

Seeley was brought back to the present by Angela's voice, "What's this?"

Seeley thought, _"What now?"_ and moved towards the living room.

He heard Hodgins say, from further away, "I don't know. Hold it up so I can see it."

Seeley entered the living room to see Angela, standing by one of Temperance's bookcases, raising an unfolded piece of paper towards Hodgins, who was standing in the kitchen. Seeley could see that even though it was creased from folding, the paper was smaller than a "normal-sized" piece of paper, with a torn edge on one side. It was also colored off-white with handwriting upon it.

Seeing Angela holding the paper from across the room, Hodgins' face went ashen. He gulped and said, "I don't know."

Angela looked at him disbelievingly. "It has my name, Zack's, her brother Russ and Booth's names on it, and a short paragraph beside each one."

"Where did you find it?" Seeley asked.

Angela pointed to the bookcase, "It was stuck between a couple of books by some plastic figurines." Angela showed Seeley a small shoebox with the Brainy Smurf and Jasper the pig, along with other small pieces of sentimentality. She turned the paper back to her and started to scan it.

"Are you sure you should be reading that?" Hodgins asked. Angela stopped and looked at him. He looked from her to Booth to Zack and then at everyone again. "I mean," he continued, clearly uneasy, "it might be something private."

"What is it?" Angela reiterated. "And how come your name isn't on this?"

With one last attempt, Hodgins said, "What makes you think I know what it is?"

Seeley took a step towards Hodgins. "You know what it is," he said simply.

In his fast, nervous voice, Hodgins said, "Okay…yes…yes. I know what it is." He moved over to Angela and took the paper. Angela, surprised, surrendered it without a fight. Hodgins looked from one to the other. In a calmer voice, he said, "Remember when Brennan and I were kidnapped by the Gravedigger? And we were buried underground?"

"Yeah?" Angela said, looking at Seeley. Seeley was quiet. He had already guessed what it was.

Hodgins coughed, 'Well, when it looked like we might not make it, we wrote kind of a goodbye message to those who meant the most to us."

"And that's" referring to the paper, "what you came up with?" Zack asked.

"No," Hodgins countered. "This is what Brennan wrote. I wrote something," and then in a lower voice, "to Angela."

"Why would that be embarrassing?" Angela asked.

"Because it was before you got together," Seeley said, sparing Hodgins any more discomfort. He picked up the small shoebox and held it out to Hodgins. Jack dropped the paper inside.

"Don't we want to read what she said to us?" Zack asked.

Seeley shook his head as he placed the cover on the box. "I've written a few of these. If she wanted you to know what it said, she would have told you." He placed the box on her counter. He tapped the top of the box a couple of times and with meaningful looks to each one, he went back to work in the other room.


	60. Temperance's Temptation

**A/N:** If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. Amazingly, it's titled, "The Long Road Home Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, go to Forums / TV / Bones. It should be somewhere in the listing.

* * *

Seeley precariously balanced on the top of the step stool, trying to hook the framed photograph onto the two picture hangers he had hammered into the wall. _"I really should have done this before I started the fire,"_ he thought as he tried unsuccessfully again to hook the wire through both hangers. He had been proud of himself for determining this spot, above the mantel of the fireplace, was a perfect place for the artwork. But that was before he realized that one person mounting the photo on the wall would be so difficult. In all honesty, it wouldn't have been such a chore if the heat of the fire in the fireplace didn't feel as though it were searing the flesh off his toes as he tried to muscle the framed and matted, under museum glass, photograph onto the two little hooks. He thought of the picture of the woman on the hanger package, also performing this chore, smiling, with seemingly no effort whatsoever. _"Maybe I can sue for false advertising,"_ he thought. He grunted, and raised the bulky frame higher along the wall. Slowly, he moved the frame down. He got to where previously either one side or the other would catch one of the hooks, while the other side continued its slide down the wall. _"Please….oh please…"_ he prayed. As if in response to his silent prayer, both sides of the artwork met resistance and stopped. Seeley held his breath, and released his grip on first one side of the frame…and then the other. He smiled as the framed photograph hung as intended. He moved his hands away. He saw no movement, no vibrations. He tentatively jiggled the frame. It moved from side to side, but stayed firmly attached to the wall. His feet and lower half of his shins felt as though they were on fire. He hopped off the stepstool, landing on the hardwood floor. Moving away from the fireplace, he bent down and rubbed his shins and feet. _"Well, I've still got the hair on my legs. So I guess it could have been worse."_

He straightened up, turned and looked at his handiwork. The artwork hung decidedly lopsided. The right side was a good inch or two lower than the left. _"Easy enough,"_ he thought, and moved to the photograph. Reaching up he slid the picture to the left about an inch and stepped back. _"Perfect,"_ he smiled.

Reaching down he picked up the step stool and folded it closed. He began walking towards the kitchen, his bare feet moving across the highly polished hardwood floors. The sound of the floorboards, here and there squealing and creaking, somehow filled him with calm. He didn't know why it was so. He hadn't grown up with wooden floors. Most of the rooms in his childhood home were covered with some form of linoleum, with throw rugs here and there. But there was something about the rich brown / honey golden hues of the floorboards that lent warmth to the rooms. Of course the golden glow of the fire dancing in the fireplace, and its radiating warmth, only helped to accentuate the peaceful feeling Seeley felt. He placed the step stool behind a slim door, covering a storage space in the kitchen. He moved to the refrigerator and withdrew a bottle of beer. Twisting the cap, in his best announcer's voice, at least in his head, he thought, _"After tussling with a raging fire, there's nothing a man deserves better than an ice cold beer."_ He raised the opened bottle, and looking through the liquid at the fire, he said, _"It's Miller Time."_ And then took a draw from the bottle.

He looked around. There were still a few boxes containing books and odds and ends, but the majority of the unpacking was done. The furniture was all in place. Although he was sure when Temperance got back he would be moving at least some of the furniture to where she had envisioned it would go. He looked over at the large work table. A jigsaw puzzle lay started upon it; waiting for someone to return to engage in deciphering its many clues. Seeley walked to the large picture window. He could see the snowflakes drifting down. At first dark splotches against the darkening sky, and then bursting into whiteness as they came within range of the outside lights. He took another drink from the bottle. It was the first snowstorm of the season. Seeley wished silently that Temperance could be with him to share it. It wasn't a driving, blizzard-like snowstorm. Or a sleety drizzle with the huge, fat, wet flakes. No, this was the snowfall you see in all of those sappy Christmas movies, or diamond commercials. The kind where, when you go out the next morning, all the world is hushed. Save for the squeaking and crunching of snowflakes being pressed together. _"Not too powdery, not too dry,"_ he thought. _"Just the right amount of moisture to hold together. Perfect for building snowmen."_ Seeley smiled. _"And snowballs."_ He hoped it would last until Parker got there tomorrow. He thought it might be fun to make a snowman with him. He stood, lost in his thoughts until his cell phone rang. Wistfully returning to real life, he padded over to the counter; floorboards squeaking and creaking as he moved. He picked up his cell phone which lay upon Temperance's box of sentimental favorites. Looking at the caller ID, he smiled and answered the call.

* * *

"Hello, my darling," he said as lightly as he could. He was trying desperately to be as supportive of her as he could. The one thing he didn't want was for her to think she had to choose between her love of forensic anthropology or him.

He could hear her smile over the phone, "Seeley," she said. "I'm glad I caught you."

Seeley could also hear something disturbing in her voice. "Is everything okay?" and then, "Are you all right?"

After a moment's hesitation, "I'm fine. I just…wanted to hear your voice."

Seeley knew something was up. He said, as happily as he could, "I'm glad you called. I was just watching the snowfall, wishing you could be here. And now, it's almost like you are."

"It's snowing?"

"Yep, first one of the season." He knew he couldn't rush her. She had to get at what was wrong in her own time. "Hopefully it'll last until tomorrow. I was hoping I could help Parker build a snowman."

"Parker's coming over?"

Now Seeley knew that something was genuinely bothering her. She normally didn't speak in sentences of two and three words. "Yeah," he said, "Rebecca and Brent are going away for the weekend. Parker's been a big help unpacking. At least until he found the box with your underthings." Seeley paused, waiting for the laughter. When he didn't hear any, "I was afraid I was going to have to have the _'birds and bees talk'_ with him a lot earlier than I wanted to."

Still no laughter. "Temperance," he started, "Is everything all right?"

"Seeley," she said, her voice unsteady. "I need to tell you something…"

"_Uh Oh…"_ Seeley thought.

"Something you may not like."

Seeley sat down on the couch. He had heard the start of this conversation before. Just before a woman had broken up with him. He took a drink from the bottle, and looking into the fire, "Are you okay?"

* * *

Temperance sat in her tent, cell phone to her ear, looking at the wallpaper on her laptop. It was the black and white photo of their trip to Hillside Park. She thought guiltily, _"With everything that's happened, his first thought is if __I'm__ okay?"_

She said, "Yes…physically I'm all right," she took a deep breath, "but I'm afraid something happened…" and then trailed off.

"Temperance?" The concern in Seeley's voice pierced her heart.

She didn't think it possible that she could be this afraid that a man would leave her. But she knew how jealous and insecure some men could be. She was hoping that Seeley could look past what happened, or rather, didn't happen. "There's this man…"she started, and then she didn't know how to continue.

"Yes?" Seeley said.

"_Damn him!"_ she thought. He wasn't going to make it easy for her. "David Jacobs. He's in charge of the dig."

"Yes, you told me."

"I did? When?" Temperance asked.

"In an earlier call," Seeley said. "I think about two weeks ago."

Temperance shook her head, "Anyway, he and I have been getting along fairly well. You know, talking, exchanging ideas…that sort of thing."

"Uh huh."

"Well, I guess he had made the rounds of the other women here," Temperance said.

"And the wheel stopped on you?"

"Some of the other women, remember I told you about Sue?"

"Yeah."

"She warned me about him. She said he used his position to seduce the other women here. He's very influential, and he's financing the dig here. But he's also very charming, and very smart. I thought since I was independent from the dig, he'd just go on with someone else and leave me alone. But," she said.

"Guys like him like a challenge," Booth said flatly.

"He's a brilliant archaeologist; and we've had some pretty deep discussions, long into the night. I told him all about you, and Parker and our life back there. And he seemed to respect me and my wishes. He made a couple of simple moves on me, but I fended them off easily."

"So, what happened?"

"I don't know if you pay attention to the weather down here…"

"It rained yesterday," Seeley said.

Temperance closed her eyes. How could she have been so stupid to risk losing this man? She continued, "We couldn't do anything at the dig, so I just stayed here in my tent, working on my book. He showed up at my tent with a couple bottles of wine. After going through those, he played some music on an iPod, or something like that and he asked me to dance. I didn't think anything of it."

"What was the song?" Seeley asked.

Temperance shook her head, "What? I don't know. Something I had never heard before." She thought, _"Why is he asking about that?"_ She continued. "I guess I had too much to drink, or maybe I was missing being in your arms…but it felt so nice."

"And then?"

"He kissed me."

"Did you kiss back?"

"At first," Temperance paused, "until I realized it wasn't you I was kissing." Silence on the line. "Once I realized it, I broke away and hit him. I opened up a fairly long laceration on his cheek. I guess he got cut by your grandmother's ring."

"What happened then?" Seeley asked. Temperance was a little confused at the different tone in his voice. _"Almost like he was more relaxed? Amused?"_

"I yelled at him to get out. Sue told me later that the whole camp heard me screaming at him. I threw his iPod and the empty wine bottles at him as he walked away. I think one of them bounced off his shoulder as he stumbled down the hill."

"Is that it?"

"I threw myself onto my cot, trying to determine whether I should tell you or not." Temperance paused. "I'm so sorry, Seeley!" And then, "Can you ever forgive me?"

"For what?" Seeley said. "For getting drunk?"

"No…for falling for his line of crap! For putting myself in the position where I might lose you!"

"You're not going to _'lose'_ me," Seeley said firmly. "Especially not for that."

"I…I don't understand."

"You were still wearing your engagement ring. You told everybody you were engaged. You told them about your life here. You got drunk, danced with someone you should have stayed away from, but then you sent him on his way." He continued, "And instead of hiding it, you told me about it. How is anything you did cause for me to leave you?"

"You're not mad? Or jealous?"

"Well, if I were there, I would definitely beat the guy up. Severely. But if I try to beat up everybody who thinks you're hot and would like to go to bed with you…well, let's just say that my schedule is going to be booked for a long, long time."

"But…" Temperance started.

"I trust you," Seeley said reassuringly. "I trust that you Love me. And I trust that you know I Love you. I trust that when it comes down to it, you're going to do the right thing."

"I wish I could be with you right now," Temperance said smiling. She ran her fingers over his black and white image on the screen.

"Me too," Seeley agreed. "How much longer are you going to be down there?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "The work is going slowly."

"You're going to be back in time for Thanksgiving, aren't you? You know you missed seeing Parker dressed up as a squint for Halloween."

"I know," she said sadly.

"And I missed you dressing up in your Wonder Woman outfit," Seeley said.

"Was there a party or something for Halloween?"

"Who said anything about you being Wonder Woman for Halloween? You know, Parker isn't here all of the time. And we need to _'christen'_ every room in the house…" Seeley teased.

"Such a dirty boy!" she teased back. It was then that she made her decision. "Look," she said, "I've got to go and take care of some things. Can we talk more tomorrow?"

Pleased at Temperance's happier mood, Seeley said, "Sure…I Love You."

"I Love you too," she smiled at the sound of the words. "Bye"

"Bye"

As soon as Temperance disconnected the call, she began powering down her computer and throwing clothes into her bag.

* * *

After Seeley disconnected the call, he stared into the fire for a few moments. Smiling, he placed another call.

"Hello Angela?" he said as she picked up the phone. "Can you help me get something set up at the Jeffersonian tomorrow?"


	61. Home

**A/N:** Well, this is it. The end of this part of their story. We all knew it had to end sometime. Although I do have ideas for sequels in mind. And I think I will also be participating in some oneshot themes challenges. Please feel free to continue to review, post comments, etc. Any comments will be welcome. I'll be looking back at the thread on a regular basis as well.

If anyone has any questions, or would like to discuss the story beyond what is available in the reviews, I have created a forum area on here for this story within the Forums section. Amazingly, it's titled, "The Long Road Home Discussion Page" Please feel free to use it. I will answer any and all posts. Navigating to it is somewhat clunky, go to Forums / TV / Bones. It should be somewhere in the listing. Or, if you like, please feel free to send a pm.

I can only hope that you have had as much fun reading it as I have had writing it. Thanks to all of you who have supported the story with your comments, constructive criticisms, etc.

Thank you one and all.

* * *

She hated the rain. It did nothing to slake the intolerably high humidity of the area. She turned back to her text, trying to figure out how to get him to leave her alone. That was the other bad thing about the rain. It meant there was nothing to do at the dig, and the old horn dog would be sniffing around. She heard a soft beep.

The young woman looked up from her reference text and turned to the computer screen. The flashing logo indicated a request for a video conference from the Jeffersonian Institute. _"Probably Doctor Hodgins with results of the soil samples,"_ she thought as she reached for the function key to accept the conference request. The screen flashed momentarily. She turned her eyes away from the screen to place her book out of the way and pick up some writing implements. She turned back, expecting the cute, curly-headed, bearded scientist, but instead she saw an impressively handsome, dark-haired man, dressed in a grey sweater covering a white shirt and tie, and a child of about six or possibly seven sitting on his lap. Both the man and the slightly curly-headed boy were smiling expectantly. She heard Angela Montenegro's voice over the speakers, "Hey Brennan! Look who I've got!" And then the man and boy said in unison, "Hi Bones!" and waved.

Stunned at the surprise of seeing the two, the woman could only stammer, "A...Angela?"

Upon seeing her, the man and boys' faces lost their joyful expressions, replaced by confusion. Angela's face came into view and hovered near the man's. "Susan? Is that you?" After a moment's silence, "I thought Doctor Brennan was on video watch this time of day?"

Susan, looking at Angela, said, "Normally she is," she paused, and then continued, shaking her head, "but she's not here."

After a moment, waiting for the time delay, Angela said, "Oh, that's too bad. We were hoping to surprise her. This is her fiancé Booth, and his son Parker."

Susan smiled, "Yes, I've heard a lot about you Mr. Booth." She recognized the two from Doctor Brennan's wallpaper, and their conversations about life back in the real world. She moved her eyes to Parker, she didn't know why. She knew the camera atop the screen was picking her up. She supposed it just seemed natural to look at the person on the screen. "And I've heard a lot about you too, Parker," She said with a smile.

Parker regained his joy, and Agent Booth returned her smile; "I hope she's been kind in what she's said." He continued, "Temperance has told me good things about you as well." Susan thought she would melt.

She blushed. All of a sudden, she was acutely aware of her tank top with spaghetti straps, hair pinned up carelessly and the feeling of grime and dried perspiration on her skin. Her hand unconsciously moved up to 'fix' some non-existent stray hairs near her neck. "Thank you," she stammered, "…and you too."

Angela asked, "Any ideas when she'll be back?"

A stunned expression cascaded over Susan's face. _"She didn't tell anybody! She wanted it to be a surprise,"_ she thought. She resigned herself to accepting responsibility for letting the cat out of the bag. Quickly composing herself, she said, "She left," she paused. "She's on her way back to the States."

Confusion spread on Booth's face, "When did she leave? I just talked to her last night."

Susan smiled. She nodded and said, "Right after she hung up from talking to you, she told Doctor Jacobs that she was leaving. Going back to the States."

"Really?" Booth said, a smile lighting his face. "Just like that?"

Susan was grateful she was sitting down. She could feel the raw magnetism of the man, even across the video feed. She thought, _"Why would she __**ever**__ leave this man for a day? Let alone weeks or months?"_ She said, "Well," she looked around and then back at the screen. "There was a pretty good screaming match between the two of them. Doctor Jacobs threatened to file a complaint with the Jeffersonian for breach of contract," she saw Booth's demeanor harden. She smiled, "And Doctor Brennan told him to go ahead. She asked him which would hit the courts first, his suit, or her sexual harassment suit." She paused. When she saw Booth and Angela start laughing, she continued, smiling "It wasn't much of an argument after that." She added, "Most of the camp heard it. But in the end, Doctor Brennan said she had gotten all she needed in the way of context of the find and that we should send all future samples and finds to the Jeffersonian."

"When did she leave?" Seeley asked.

"She left this morning at around 9:00," Susan said.

"Do you know when she should get here? Any flight information?" Angela asked.

Susan started searching around in her stack of papers. "I've got her flight info here…somewhere." She kept taking quick glances at the screen as she searched. She could see Parker getting antsy and starting to fidget. _"Where is it?"_ her mind started to scream. Finally, she found it. Reading from the scrap of paper, "She's on American Flight 2196 to Dallas, changing planes in Dallas to Flight 1720 and arriving in Washington at 6:30 tonight." She could see Booth looking around, presumably for a clock. "It's 3:30 here now, so it's 4:30 for you."

Susan saw Booth's eyes move from side to side. She could almost see the plan he was formulating. He leaned close to Parker and whispered in his ear. Parker's response was immediate with an expression of happiness and a yelp of "Yeah!"

Seeley sat back and said, to both Angela and Susan, "We've got to get going. Got a lot of things to do in two hours. He looked directly into the camera; Susan could swear he was looking straight into her eyes, "Thanks, Susan! You've been a big help!" He stood up, carrying Parker on his hip like a sack of potatoes.

Angela sat down in the chair and said to Susan, "Thanks, sweetie!"

Susan said, "Don't mention it." And then she murmured, "So, are there any more like him floating around back there?"

Angela laughed. She shook her head and said, "No…Booth is an original."

A man's voice startled Susan, "Who's an original?" Susan looked up to see Doctor Jacobs standing inside the tent flap. Susan noticed he had a bottle of wine. Smiling, he said, "Sorry if I'm interrupting." He held up the bottle. "I was just wondering if you had any plans for tonight."

* * *

Rod Diaz, the helicopter pilot, Jim Packer, the equipment tech and Dennis Samms, the med tech were seated around a table in the mess tent playing cards. All three of them were older than the "Doctors" who thought they were in charge. All of them in their late 30s. The rain beat a steady rhythm on the canvas. Doctor Jennifer Caffey, Doctor Sarah Brandt and Doctor Deborah Lanz were seated around a separate table; sharing a bottle of Tequila and discussing pre-Columbian artifacts. The other Doctors and various grad students were scattered throughout the rest of the camp. The men would occasionally steal glances at the young intellectuals' legs and other parts of their scantily clad bodies. Two of the women would catch the sideways glances and laugh derisively amongst themselves. The third woman's body language said she would rather be anywhere but with the two spoiled children she now seemed to be stuck babysitting.

Suddenly, a woman's voice cut the rhythm of the falling rain, "GET OUT!" Conversation around the tables stopped. "I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Who is that?" Jim asked.

"Sounds like Susan," Rod said.

"That's Doctor Graves to you," Jennifer huffed.

Rod rolled his eyes as Jim and Dennis smirked. Dennis subtly made a profane movement with his free hand, holding his cards in his other. "Yeah…" Rod said sarcastically. "I'll have to remember that."

"THIS IS IT! I'M TELLING YOU FOR THE LAST TIME…DON'T TALK TO ME…DON'T EVEN LOOK AT ME UNLESS IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE DIG!" After a pause, "GO FIND SOMEONE ELSE!" And then, "I'M SURE JENNIFER OR SARAH WOULDN'T MIND HAVING THEIR LEGS IN THE AIR! I'M DONE! IT'S TIME I GET SOME SEMBLANCE OF MY SELF-RESPECT BACK! GET OUT!"

Quick laughter came from the men. Slight embarrassment from the two women. "Good for Susan," Dennis said simply.

"It's about time," Rod agreed. "She's too nice a kid to be treated the way he treats his women."

"I guess it's two down," Jim glanced at the other table, "Maybe 5 or 6 to go. There'll always be somebody who falls for his line of bull." The other two men nodded in agreement.

Sarah and Jane stood up angrily. As they moved towards the tent flap Jane huffed, "You guys wish you could be as smart as Doctor Jacobs." When they realized the other woman wasn't following them, they turned around to see Deborah moving towards the card players' table with the bottle and shot glasses. As she sat down, Sarah and Jane stormed out of the tent.

The three men looked at Deborah as she poured out some shots and said, "All those degrees and not a single brain in their heads." To the men she said, "Can I get in on this game?"

Rod said, "Sure, next hand."

Jim raised his shot glass, "That makes 3 down."

Deborah smiled. "To be accurate, Doctor Brennan never did fall prey to his 'charms'."

Jim nodded, "I liked her. I think she had a positive influence on the rest of the people here."

"What was it she said? When Jacobs gave some smart-ass opinion about something she had said?" Rod said amused. When he remembered the phrasing, "I don't give an obese rodent's posterior what you think," and then he laughed. Joined in by the rest of the table.

"She should have been more careful, though,' Deborah said. "Jacobs has a lot of pull in the scientific community. She could be marked for the rest of her professional life."

Dennis picked up a card from the pile and started rearranging his cards. "I wouldn't worry about it, Debs. That six-inch laceration on his right shoulder should keep him quiet for awhile." He moved a few of his cards around in his hand, and finally set his cards down face up, "Gin" he said. The other men groaned and, along with Deborah, drank their shots.

* * *

Temperance found herself becoming more and more anxious as the plane taxied towards the gate. She had tried sleeping on the two flights, but thoughts of Seeley and herself kept her awake. She realized the closer she got to Washington the more she smiled. _"I don't need to sleep. Tonight,"_ she thought, _"I'll be sleeping in his arms. That will make up for everything."_

Normally, she would sit back and quietly wait patiently for the plane to arrive at the gate. But now, she found herself glancing out the window; willing the plane to taxi quicker. Why, she couldn't tell. She hadn't told anyone she was coming. Her mind quickly sped through her upcoming race to baggage claim, getting a taxicab and finally arriving at their house. So engrossed in her thoughts, she missed most of the flight attendant's arrival spiel. When she finally tuned in, she heard, "…the current local time is now 6:35 and the temperature is 28 degrees…"

"_28 degrees?"_ she thought in horror. _"I just left this morning and it was 70 degrees."_ And then, _"I didn't bring a coat!"_ She looked out the window and smiled, _"That's okay…I know how I can warm up."_

The plane rolled to a stop. She could see the Jetway sliding into place at the front of the aircraft. Turning back to the interior, she could hear the metal clicks of the seat belts as passengers disengaged themselves from their seats and began unloading the overhead compartments. She stood up and pulled her knapsack, her only carry-on, from the overhead bin, and moved towards the exit. She remembered a couple of weeks back, on the boat, when they were talking about how depressing it was to arrive at an airport alone. With no one to meet you. Now that she thought about it, she had to agree. But the thought of seeing Seeley and Parker again soon pushed the depressing thoughts from her mind.

She passed the flight attendants and, it was either the pilot or co-pilot, wishing everyone well at the exit. "Yes…thank you for the nice flight…have a good night," she said absently. She felt the cold seeping through the Jetway as she moved towards the terminal.

She moved out into the gate waiting area, and was astonished to see Parker standing about 50 feet away; smiling with bouquet of daffodils and daisies. Behind him, with his hands on Parker's shoulders, stood Seeley, a broad smile filling his face. In unison, they yelled, "Welcome Home, Bones!" If she was disappointed that her surprise had been ruined, it vanished in an instant. Temperance's joy at the sight of them skyrocketed.

Parker broke away from his father's grasp and ran towards her. Her long legs closed the gap even quicker. She dropped her knapsack, bent down, caught him beneath his arms and picked him up. Seeley's breath caught in his throat at the sight. As she raised him, she said, "Arrggh…Parker! What has your Dad been feeding you? Rocks?"

Parker giggled as Temperance hugged him tightly. Blinking back tears, Seeley swallowed hard. Trying to force his heart back down into his chest. He moved to this beautiful woman who held his son so tightly. Holding what appeared to be clothes in his left arm, he wrapped his free arm, and what he could of his other arm around Parker and Temperance. He pulled them to him. Temperance turned to him and kissed his lips. The three of them rocked together for a moment before they broke their kiss and standing in each other's arms, looked with joy at each other. "I missed you," Temperance said, tears welling in her eyes.

"I missed you," Seeley said hoarsely.

"Are you glad to see us?" Parker asked.

Temperance turned to him; "Yes" she said and kissed his cheek. "Yes," as she kissed his face. "Yes," as she kissed his forehead. "A thousand times, Yes!" as she kissed him again. Parker giggled all throughout this scene as Seeley, looking at the interactions realized he was wrong about his feelings for her. He found he loved her even more than he had thought.

* * *

Temperance found her vision of a mad dash through the airport had dissipated as smoke in a strong breeze. Time was no longer her enemy. She was quite content to stroll through the Washington airport, one arm encircling Seeley's, holding the flowers, with Parker, who insisted on carrying her knapsack on his back, holding her other hand. Instead of dodging the people hustling by, the three of them could have been on a Sunday walk through the park. She pulled Seeley's arm, bringing him down to her; then stretched up and kissed his cheek. Releasing the pressure, she allowed Seeley to stand up straight. "What was that for?" he asked.

Her smile grew. "Nothing,' she said. She continued, "Imagine what you would get if you did something." She angled the bouquet towards her and drank in the aroma of the flowers.

"If this is how you're going to be when coming home," Seeley started, "maybe you should go away more often." Temperance stopped and looked at him. Seeley looked at her a moment, then shook his head and smirked, "Naah!" She pulled his arm, and joined in his head shake as they continued on.

Temperance nodded towards the bundle of clothing in Seeley's left arm. "What's all that?"

He raised the clothing out in front of him, "Well, my overcoat, your overcoat, hat, scarf…"

He never ceased to amaze her with his thoughtfulness. "What made you think I would need them?"

"When I found out you had left, I did a weather search and found out it was 70 degrees when you left Guatemala this morning. It's about 28 out there now. Not to mention it's starting to snow again." He looked at her seriously, "Can't have you getting sick." He added, "Not when we have a lot of 'christening' to do."

Temperance's eyes and mouth opened in surprise. She closed her mouth in a smile and gently tugged on his arm. But the passion never left her eyes.

"Dad," Parker said, "I've already been christened a long time ago. I don't have to do it again, do I?"

"Erp…" Seeley choked as Temperance looked at him and laughed. "No, little man," Seeley said, giving Temperance a look that said, _'Just drop it.'_ He continued, "We can postpone it if you want to."

Relieved, Parker said, "Good." He started swinging Temperance's arm. She buried her face into Seeley's shoulder to stifle her giggles.

Seeley looked down at her. "I've never seen you like this…all…giggly."

She looked up at him, "I'm happy." She found when she said it, unlike all those other times in the past, she truly meant it. It was a refreshing feeling.

They had arrived at the baggage claim area. People were milling about, waiting for the transport to begin its display of the smorgasbord of checked bags. A cold breeze traveled through the area every time the exterior sliding glass doors opened and closed.

"Bones," Parker began, "can I get your bag?"

Temperance looked at Seeley, who nodded his approval. "Sure," she said to Parker. Kneeling down, she handed him her claim ticket. She said, "My bag is all black, except for some purple around the edges." Parker held the claim ticket. "If you see a bag like that, check the number on the tag with this number. If they match, it's my bag."

"Oohh," he said. "It's like a game."

Temperance laughed, remembering all the times her bags had been lost. She nodded at Parker, "Kind of." He smiled and ran off towards the waiting baggage carousel.

She stood up, watching Parker looking up and down the transport belt; willing the search for the bag to begin. "Here," Seeley said, holding open her overcoat. Temperance noted he had already donned his. Probably when she was talking to Parker. She smiled as he helped her on with it. Her indulgent smile became more joyful as he set her matching hat upon her head, taking care to pull the brim down to just the way he liked it; framing her face. Like a magician, he extended the purple cashmere scarf and laid it around her neck; the two ends falling within the folds of her unbuttoned overcoat. He started to tuck the ends underneath her coat when he caught the almost beatific look she wore. "What?" he said.

"You take such good care of me," she said. She almost had a teasing tone to her voice, but not quite. Her love-filled eyes pinned Seeley's gaze. "How long do you think you'll want to do that?"

Seeley began buttoning her overcoat. He smiled, "For as long as you let me."

Temperance slipped her hands inside the pockets of Seeley's overcoat. She pulled him slightly closer to him. Seeley was dimly aware of people, older, younger, couples, singles who wanted to be a couple, men and women watching them. He couldn't remember a time when Temperance looked more radiant, more beautiful. She said softly, "Marry me."

Seeley's smile turned to one of amusement. Still continuing to button her overcoat, he said, "In case you haven't been keeping up on current events, we've already decided that issue."

She edged her face closer to him, "Marry me…today. Tonight!" she breathed

Seeley was stunned. "Huh?" he said. "Tonight?"

Temperance chided him playfully, "What's the matter? Losing your nerve? Cold feet?"

"Of course not!" Seeley said, confused. "But there's the matter of a marriage license, and blood tests, and it's almost seven and all of the government offices are going to be closed…"

"Then let's fly to Las Vegas, or Reno," Seeley's head was genuinely starting to spin now. "I've heard that it's virtually nothing for someone to get married there."

"What about the big wedding? With bridesmaids and groomsmen, the big wedding cake, and Max walking you down the aisle…"

"We can have that later. I don't want to wait another minute…another second until I can tell everyone that I'm Mrs. Temperance Booth." Her eyebrows raised and her eyes grew wide at the sound of her new name. She bounced up and down with joy.

"Okay," Booth said. "I think I know where this is coming from. It's the endorphins created by seeing us again and being in close proximity overloading your brain." He saw the beginnings of frustration begin to seep into Temperance's expression. "How about if we wait until the weekend's over? And if you still feel the rush, we'll do it." He smiled.

"You don't seem very enthused…" she began.

Seeley interrupted her, "Temperance…I Love you. More than any man can ever Love anyone else in this world. I just want to make sure we're going this quickly for the right reasons." He looked at her. She saw the Love in eyes, and grudgingly acquiesced. "Besides," he continued, "This is the only wedding I'm going to have. I _**want**_ the big wedding." He paused. "And Angela and Max will kill us if they aren't part of it." Temperance smiled and slowly nodded her head in agreement. Seeley continued, smiling at his own logic, "Plus, there's nothing saying you can't tell everyone that we're getting married. That's almost as good for now, isn't it?"

Temperance looked at him, the smile and radiance flowing back into her face. When growing excitement began filling her expression, Seeley wondered cautiously what was up. She turned and yelled to the crowd, "Ladies and Gentlemen! I'm Doctor Temperance Brennan! I'm a forensic anthropologist and an author of best-selling crime novels! For those who have never read my books, the heroine of my novels is Kathy Reichs, based on my life and experiences. Her partner in the novels is FBI Special Agent Andy Lister. He is based on this man, FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth. We're in Love, and we're going to be married!" She threw her left hand in the air, showing off her engagement ring.

Seeley was taken aback at the applause and cheers elicited from the crowd of total strangers. Temperance turned to him and threw her arms around his neck. He smiled and gave in to the moment. He leaned down and kissed her, to rising cheers and applause. "You're insane…you know that?"

She had to raise her voice to be heard over the cheers, "I'm just following Rebecca's orders." Seeley gave her a confused look. "Be Loud, Be Proud!"

Seeley laughed and looked over to the baggage carousel to see Parker steering Temperance's bag towards them on its wheels.

* * *

Seeley's gloved hands slowly moved the steering wheel aiming the SUV towards the passenger loading zone. The windshield wipers drew across the glass momentarily clearing his view of the road. He reached over and decreased the interval for the wipers. He found with the snow falling, he needed the wipers to clear the windshield more frequently. He shook his head and smiled. He had no idea Temperance could be as rambunctious and socially bold as to announce their engagement to a room full of strangers. That she was that she would be proud to tie herself to him was especially pleasing.

They had agreed that she and Parker would remain at Baggage Claim while Seeley went to drive the car around to pick them up. _"No sense all three of us walking in the cold and snow,"_ he thought. He removed his glove and placed his hand on the heating vent. Good…the engine had heated up nicely and warm air was filling the cabin. He angled the truck towards the curb and stopped by the automatic door. Seeley reached down and hit the button releasing the back latch. He got out of the car just in time to see Temperance and Parker come through the door. Parker, still wearing her knapsack and Temperance dragging her bag on its wheels. Parker still carried the bouquet of daisies and daffodils, as Temperance held onto his other hand. Seeley ran around the front of the SUV and opened both passenger doors. "Go ahead and get settled," he told Temperance and Parker. "I'll put the bags in the back." To Parker, "I'll be back in a minute to buckle you in." Seeley maneuvered the bag and knapsack to the back of the SUV and opened the back door.

Parker gave the bouquet to Temperance and began to climb into the booster seat in the back. Temperance laid the flowers in the front seat. As Parker situated himself in the seat, Temperance began the process of buckling him in. When she was unsure which buckle went where, Parker would point and show her how they should be adjusted. She smiled as the two of them got the job done.

"Are you glad to be home?" Parker asked.

Temperance's smile grew wider as she said, "You know it, little man." Parker laughed at her use of his father's pet name for him. She locked the door and closed it. Looking through the glass, Parker waved at her. She waved back, and then climbed into the shotgun seat. Carefully moving the bouquet, of course.

Seeley had seen parts of the interplay between the two and marveled at how well they seemed to interact as a family. He closed the back door and moved up alongside the passenger side. As he reached Parker's door, he looked in and saw he was already buckled in. Parker smiled and waved to him. Waving back, Seeley returned the smile and moved up to Temperance's door. She turned to him. Through the glass, he mouthed the words, "Thank you." She smiled and made "come on" motions. Seeley scooted in front of the SUV and finally opened his door and got in. He leaned over to Temperance, who leaned forward and kissed him. When he sat back up, he said, "Thanks, for taking care of Parker." He removed his gloves and put the car in gear.

"My pleasure," Temperance said. "I'll need the practice for when we have children."

Seeley turned to her, shocked. She only smiled at him sweetly.

"Cool," Parker said from the back seat. "I'm gonna have a brother or sister?"

Seeley looked at Temperance questioningly. Maybe he had read her motives on the speedy marriage incorrectly. Temperance batted her eyes slowly at him and shook her head slightly. Seeley noticeably relaxed.

Looking back towards Parker he said, "Not for awhile yet, buddy. Temperance and I need to get married first, remember?"

"Oh…yeah," Parker said and turned his attention back to the snow falling outside his window.

After driving in silence for a few moments, Temperance reached over and placed her hand on Seeley's forearm. "It wouldn't be so terrible, would it?" she asked.

"What?" Seeley asked.

"Having a child sooner, rather than later?"

He reached up and took her hand. Bringing it to his lips, he kissed it softly, "No, it wouldn't be bad at all."

Another few moments passed with only the sound of the windshield wipers keeping time. Temperance asked, "How's the unpacking going?"

"Almost all done," Seeley smiled. He added, "Of course, you'll have to give your final approval of where everything will go…"

Temperance moved her hand to his face, "I'm sure it's just fine. Has Parker seen his room yet?"

Seeley was about to answer when Parker spoke up from the back, "It's great! And I really like the puzzle table."

"Puzzle table?" Temperance asked.

Seeley smiled, "The work table you wanted set up just off the living room. You said it would be for your puzzles and other entertainment purposes."

"That's right. But," turning to Parker, "how do you know it's going to be used for puzzles?"

"Dad and me have been working on one."

"Really?" Temperance said, looking at Seeley.

He nodded, "We've been working on a puzzle for about a week now. It's _'The Vitruvian Man'_ by…"

"DaVinci," Temperance finished. "I know." She looked back at Parker to see him with his legs and arms spread eagle. She added, surprised, "Who picked that one out?"

"Parker did," Seeley said. "I suggested, _'The Anatomy Lesson'_ because I remember you had mentioned it before. But when Parker saw the box, he chose that one." Temperance sat back, amazed. Seeley added, shrugging his shoulders, "Maybe he'll grow up to be a scientist." He smiled at Temperance.

She smiled back, "And maybe he'll grow up to protect the President."

"Or maybe even _**be**_ the President," Seeley said.

"There you go," Temperance agreed.

* * *

Seeley opened the door and turned on the lights. Holding the door open, he waited for Temperance and Parker to enter the condo. He softly reminded Parker, "Shoes off." Temperance turned to him with a questioning look. "So that our shoes don't scuff the hardwood floors." Temperance gave him a comprehending look and started removing her own shoes. Once Temperance and Parker had moved into the condo, Seeley carefully muscled the bags inside and began removing his own shoes.

As Temperance looked around, some would say with an expression of awe, she began unbuttoning her overcoat. There were still some individual boxes scattered here and there, but for the most part, everything had been unpacked. "Very nice," she breathed. She turned to Seeley, who had taken hold of her overcoat and was helping her off with it. "You and Parker have outdone yourselves." At Seeley's obviously false look of hurt, she said, "I half-expected to see it set up like some sort of cave."

Seeley protested as he hung her overcoat in the closet, "I'm hurt. You don't think I have a sense of style?"

Temperance handed her hat to Seeley and then slid her arms around his neck. Moving into his body, she murmured, "Papa Bear's done the cave real nice," and then kissed him.

Parker had already dropped his coat on the floor and began moving quickly towards the puzzle table. After Seeley and Temperance broke their kiss, and Seeley saw Parker's coat on the floor, he said, "Uh-uh, buddy. That's not where your coat belongs." Parker stopped in his tracks and moved lethargically back to where his coat lay. He picked it up and walked it over to where Seeley and Temperance stood at the closet.

"Sorry Dad,' Parker said as he handed his coat to his father. Seeley and Temperance exchanged amused looks.

Seeley said, "That's okay. Don't forget again."

"Can I go to the 'Puzzle Room' now?"

Seeley smiled, "Hit it." Parker turned and ran towards the 'Puzzle Room' at breakneck speed. Temperance was going to ask if maybe he shouldn't slow down when Parker stopped running and slid on his stocking feet; stopping just short of the table.

Horrified, Temperance turned to Seeley, "That's not going to work…" she started, only to see Seeley chuckling at his son's antics. She looked at him exasperatedly.

Seeley coughed and said, "I'll talk to him about it."

Shaking her head, Temperance moved off to inspect the rest of the first floor while Seeley moved up the stairs to the second floor.

She first moved into Parker's room, then on to her study, Seeley's workout room and finally the kitchen. On the counter, she saw a shoebox labeled _"Temperance's Stuff."_ She opened the box. Inside, she saw Jasper, her pig figurine and Brainy Smurf. Both presents from Seeley. She moved a couple of the items around until she saw a folded piece of paper. She recognized it immediately. She held her breath. That is, until she felt Seeley's arms encircle her waist and his chest press against her back. "Where did you find this?" she said in a small voice.

"Angela found it between a couple of books." He kissed her temple.

"Do you know what it is?"

"Hodgins told us," Seeley said. "Although not at first, and not willingly."

"Did you read it?"

"No," Seeley shook his head, "Zack and Angela wanted to, but I convinced them not to."

She turned her head so she could look into his eyes, "How did you do that?"

He pursed his lips slightly, "I have my ways."

She turned and looked at the paper again, "Do you want to?"

She could feel him shake his head again, "Not unless it's something you want me to know."

She raised her hand and arced it over their heads, allowing it to rest on the back of Seeley's neck and the base of his head. "I Love you," she said, fighting back tears.

"I know," Seeley said and kissed the back of her head. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to be enveloped in his embrace.

After a few moments, Seeley said, "You haven't mentioned the picture over the fireplace."

She smiled, "In all honesty, I hadn't made it there yet." They began to slowly shuffle together towards the fireplace. Somehow, Seeley had started a fire, probably when she was in one of the other rooms. As she got closer, she could see in the dim light it wasn't any of her artwork. When she finally saw it clearly, she gasped in surprise.

An image of her was positioned on one side of the photograph. She was sitting on the swimming deck of the Calliope, her legs disappearing into the water, leaning down, looking towards something. Her gaze traveled to the other side, where a dolphin had poked its head out of the water. In the photo, it looked like the two were looking into each other's eyes. "Oh…it's wonderful!" she said. Turning in Seeley's arms, she kissed him deeply. Afterwards, she turned her body halfway, still nestled in Seeley's arms, her arm around his neck. "When did you…" she started. And then, "Well, when we were on the boat of course. I never knew you took this photograph!" She reached out and touched the glass covering the image of the dolphin.

"I was hoping it would come out, without being all blurry and stuff," Seeley said. "And it pretty much did. I had Angela work on it with her magic so that I could get it enlarged without losing too much quality."

"It's beautiful!" Temperance breathed happily. She turned back to Seeley and mashed her lips to his. Mindful of Parker's presence, before they became too excited, Seeley broke the kiss. They turned back to the photograph, lost in their own memories of that weekend.

After a moment, Temperance said, "You know what? I think I'm going to take a bath." Seeley nodded his head towards her in a 'You are?' gesture. "It's been awhile since I've taken a nice, luxurious, hot bath."

"Good for you," Seeley said.

"Have you tested the hot water capacity and water pressure yet?"

"Oh yes," Seeley said. "Plenty of each, and the bathroom and bathtub will hold the heat very well." Temperance gave him an incredulous look. He nodded, "Go ahead and check it out. While you were looking at the other rooms, I took the liberty of drawing you a bath." She gave him a shocked look. "It's waiting for you."

She kissed him, "You know, you're spoiling me."

"Hey" he said. "It's tough, but I knew the job was dangerous when I took it." He moved towards the kitchen, "However, before you go up there and get lost in that other world," he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a plastic gallon container. Getting a glass from the cabinet, he poured the liquid into the glass and handed it to Temperance, "Lemonade…you need to hydrate from the long flights you took today."

She took the glass with a smile. Taking a sip, the cold, tart sensations exploded into her mouth. She said, "Just how I like it, thank you." Temperance started to move towards the upstairs when she noticed the box on the counter. Reaching in, she pulled out the folded paper. She pressed the paper into the palm of his hand, and then pulled his hand up to her lips. She kissed the back of his hand, her eyes never wavering from his.

Seeley watched as she climbed the stairs and opened the door to the bathroom. He saw the golden glow of the light from the doorway; she stopped and involuntarily cooed at what she saw. She turned and smiled at him and then entered the bathroom.

* * *

Temperance entered the bathroom to the light of about a dozen candles. Their golden yellow flames seemed to enhance the colors of the hardwood floors and porcelain. She could smell the daffodil scented bath oil he had used in drawing the bath. She moved over to the tub and dipped her hand into the water. Seeley was right, the bathroom and tub held the heat very well. The water was still hot. She set the lemonade on the table next to the tub and removed her clothing. She eased herself down into the bath, feeling the hot water and bath oil ease her tired muscles. Temperance lay back, thinking of Seeley and smiling. She looked at the back of the door. There, on a hanger, was one of his dress shirts, a pair of his blue shorts, and a pair of his white athletic socks. She smiled at the last item she noted. Her white sports bra. Evidently, he didn't want her to give Parker an advanced education in human sexuality. At least not at the age of seven.

* * *

Seeley watched her enter the bathroom with satisfaction. And a certain amount of trepidation. He hoped he had met her expectations. He felt the fabric of the paper in his hand. He pulled an ottoman up close to the fire and sat down. Before unfolding the paper, he mentally traveled back to the time when she and Hodgins had been kidnapped by the Gravedigger. _"What was going on in our lives at the time?"_ he thought. _"Where were we in our relationship?"_ He tried to get himself in the proper mindset as he unfolded the paper:

"_Angela – Thank you for being my friend. Even though at times, I know, it couldn't possibly have been easy. Thank you for pushing me to see a wider life. P.S. I hope Hodgins survives – he honestly loves you."_

Seeley swam back into his memories of Hodgins and Angela going on the date, but then Angela pushing him away. Fearful of how bad it would be if it went wrong. _"Sound like anybody you know, buddy?"_ he thought.

"_Zack – You have been my most promising student. Continue working, and complete your doctorates. I see great promise in you as a forensics anthropologist._

Seeley thought, _"Always teaching Zack. In some ways, I think she thinks of herself as a mother to him. She's taken such joy in seeing him mature into the young man he is today."_

"_Russ – I'm sorry we wasted so many years apart. I wish for you all of the best. If you can ever find Dad, tell him I've missed him. I hope things work out for you and Amy."_

Seeley smiled, _"What a change from back then! We hadn't even seen Max yet. The whole thing about Director Kirby, Max's trial, Amy and the girls. Wow! Who could have known how all that would play out?"_ Seeley saw the heading of the last paragraph. He took a deep breath.

"_Booth – My rock. Please don't look at what happened as your failure. I'm sure you did as much as you could to find us. My only regret is not letting you into my life sooner. Always remember the fun we had as "Roxie and Tony"_

Seeley smiled. "Typical," he thought. "Back then she could only relate us as a couple when we worked that undercover." He paused, "But then, I was still with Cam at the time. Even though I was feeling that irresistible tug towards Temperance. Even **_I_** still didn't think of ourselves as a couple then."

He re-read the paragraph. His attention seemed to stick on, "My only regret…" His smile returned. _"Even back then, she had been thinking I was a good influence on her."_

He refolded the paper, and set it back in the box. His mood lighter, he walked over to help his son with the puzzle.

* * *

Temperance heard the knock at the door. Shaking her head, as if to shake herself out of her reverie, she said, "Yes?"

"It's me," came Seeley's voice through the door. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," she replied. Seeley entered and then shut the door behind him. When he turned back to her, she teasingly raised her left leg straight out of the water, letting the water cascade down in rivulets. "Would you like to join me?" she smiled.

It was an invitation that was entirely doable, Seeley noted, as the tub could more than accommodate the two of them. "As much as I'd truly like to, perhaps some other time." He opened his mouth to speak more when Temperance interrupted him.

Tilting her head from side to side, she singsonged, "You don't know what you're missing."

Seeley nodded, "Oh yes I do. And believe me, we will be in that tub together sometime within the next few days." Temperance laughed seductively. "And that's not going to work, either." He handed her a fresh lemonade. "We've got company."

"Who?" Temperance said. "Who knows I'm back?"

"Well," Seeley said. "Angela and Hodgins, are two." Temperance realized Seeley hadn't told her how he knew she was coming home. He continued, "Angela was with us when we found out you were on your way back."

"Us?"

"Parker and me. We were going to surprise you with a video conference. That's when we found out you weren't there."

"Okay…" she said. "Anybody else?"

"That's all from the Jeffersonian." Temperance stared at him. "Everybody else had prior engagements."

"So who else is here?"

Seeley coughed, "Well, I mentioned it to Max that you were coming home, and then he mentioned it to Russ…"

"Who!" Temperance snapped.

Another cough, "Everybody…Max, Russ, Amy, the girls." Temperance brought her hands up to her eyes. "It won't be so bad," Seeley tried to make it better. "They love you…they want to see you. You're family."

Temperance sighed. "I just didn't want to get fully dressed again today. I wanted to lounge around, order pizza, curl up on the couch with you…"

Seeley pointed to what he had laid out for her, "That stuff's perfectly fine for these people." Temperance looked at him dubiously. "Believe me, they don't care what you're wearing. They just want to see their friend and family member."

Still unconvinced, she finally agreed. "All right Seeley," she sighed. I'll be out in a couple of minutes."

"Great!" Seeley said and turned to go. "I'll tell everybody you'll be down in a little bit."

Seeley got as far as the door when Temperance said, "Seeley!" in an astonished, hurt tone.

He whirled at the sound of her voice, "What?" he said, truly concerned.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Temperance said in her schoolmarm voice. Seeley searched his memory, and came up blank. Seeing his vacant look, Temperance said testily, "Don't I even get a kiss?"

She saw the light go on in Seeley's mind as he rushed over to her, almost in a panic. As he bent down to kiss her, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him even closer to her. Pressing herself into his chest, water cascaded from her noisily as she kissed him deeply. When they broke the kiss, Seeley staggered back, his shirt plastered to his chest. He seemed short of breath.

"Aren't you going to keep our company entertained?" Temperance said sweetly as she stood up, fully exposing herself to him.

Seeley closed his eyes, and shakily said, "Uhhh…yeah." Temperance looked at him with some amusement. He continued, as he turned away from the vision, "I…just need to wait a moment or two."

One look at Seeley's pants told Temperance what his problem was. _"Yeah!"_ she thought. _"I've still got it!"_ She said, "Don't forget to change your shirt," she said helpfully. "Yours is all wet!" Seeley brought his hand up to his chest as he staggered to the door.

* * *

Temperance padded out to the top of the stairs. Taking a drink of lemonade, she looked down at all the people on the first floor. She saw Seeley, Parker and Emma sitting around the puzzle table, searching through the pieces. She saw that Emma said something and then started to laugh. Both Parker and Seeley laughed with her. Not a mocking laugh, but one of genuine mirth.

She heard music playing on Seeley's sound system. She moved down a couple of steps and sat down on the top floor. Looking over by the fireplace, she saw the rest of them. Max, Amy, Russ, Hayley, Angela and Hodgins. They had split themselves up into teams and were playing Charades.

It looked like it was Max, Hodgins and Russ against Amy, Hayley and Angela. _"Boys against the girls,"_ Temperance thought. Max made the hand motion that the answer was a film title. He then made a motion that he was tying something and then he threw it up in the air. He then made as if he was putting something around his neck. He then motioned pulling something in a downward motion, cocked his head to the side and stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth.

Hodgins called out, "Dead! Dying! Night of the Living Dead!" Taken aback, Max shook his head. He raised his hands above his head like he was holding onto something above his head, his mouth open.

Russ shouted, "Fall! Falling! Fall of the House of Usher!" Max looked from Russ to Hodgins; he shook his head exasperatedly. Then he put both of his hands above his head and keeping his arms straight, he bent his knees and then raised first one and then the other leg.

Hodgins said, "Hanging!" Max's eyes lit up as he nodded his head vigorously, holding his thumb and index finger about an inch apart.

"Hang!" Russ yelled. Max touched his nose with his finger signifying they got it correct. Temperance smiled as he stumbled on. He held his index and middle fingers in the "V" configuration signifying the second word. He took a deep breath. With his fingers, he made the shape of an L, then a T, then and O, followed by a U.

Amy said, "That's cheating, trying to spell out the word!" Max pantomimed silently pleading to the heavens. He then made a C.

Hodgins said, "Sea? Hang Sea? Is it a foreign film?" Temperance saw her dad's eyes flash at Hodgins. Hodgins looked around, "Okay, it's not a foreign film." Max put up one finger on his left hand and three fingers on his right.

Both Hodgins and Russ looked confused. "There's 13 letters in the word?" Russ said. This time Max's eyes flashed at Russ. "Okay, that's not it," Russ said. Max thought for a moment and then flashed his hands back and forth in front of him signifying to forget about the previous clues. He pointed over to the puzzle table.

Hodgins said, "Puzzles?" Max shook his head. Russ said, "Booth?" Again, Max shook his head, more vigorously now. "Parker?" Hodgins said.

Temperance yelled down, "Emma, you fools!"

Surprised at hearing his daughter's voice, Max looked to the top of the stairs. His expression grew softer, happier. She could see the rest of the people's expressions also grew happier as they waved to her and yelled their "Hellos." Max vigorously nodded his head and again held his thumb and index finger about an inch apart. Russ shouted out, "Em!" Max nodded with a finger on his nose.

"Hey!" Angela said, "No fair cheating!"

Amy went "Boooo."

And Hayley said, "They had help!"

Max held up three fingers. Russ yelled, "Third word!" Max held his hand horizontal above his head.

Hodgins said, "Up! Above!" Max shook his head. He moved his hand to down by his ankles.

Russ said, "Down!" Max shook his head. Then Russ said, "Low!" Max, wide eyed nodded shortly and then raised his hand above his head. Russ said, "High!" Max nodded his head vigorously and touched his nose with his finger.

Hodgins yelled, "Hang 'Em High!"

"Yes!" Max shouted. He raised both his hands and did a celebratory dance. Russ and Hodgins did a high five as chants of "Cheat…cheat" came from the girls team.

Max smiled up at Temperance, "You're looking good, pumpkin." Temperance beamed down at him. "You coming down to give your old man a hug?"

"In a minute or two," she said, taking another sip of lemonade. "I just want to watch for a little bit more." Max looked from her to Seeley and back again. He made an "A-OK" sign with his hand and smiled broadly. Aping her father, she nodded vigorously with a smile.

The girls team began setting up who would give the clues as Max sat down, laughing, next to Russ and Hodgins. Temperance saw Seeley moving towards the staircase. She heard the strains of Michael Buble's "Home" on the stereo and found herself flashing on memories:

Her and Seeley in the shower after the group excursion on Calliope: Seeley asking her, _"Feel good to be **home**?"_

Herself arriving in Seeley's hospital room: _"Honey, I'm **home**."_

Parker and Seeley at the airport: _"Welcome **home**, Bones!"_

Parker in the car: _"Are you glad to be **home**?"_

Jon, on the boat: _"**Home** is where you feel the most loved."_

Looking from the charades players to the puzzle solvers, to Seeley climbing the stairs up to her, she was surprised at her rise in emotions as the realization hit her. Seeley sat next to her. "How ya doing?" he smiled.

She edged closer to him as she took one of his hands and held it to her chest. "I'm doing great!"

Seeley angled his head so he could see her eyes. They were filled with tears, but her face wore the expression of a traveler whose journey has finally ended. Contentment. "Yeah?" Seeley questioned.

She nodded her head. She smiled as a single tear fell from her joyful eyes _**"I'm home."**_


End file.
